


Close, but no cigar

by Angel1622



Category: One Piece
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Constructive Criticism Welcome, Fear, Gen, Nakamaship, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Pre-Grand Line (One Piece), Sanji-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:53:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 34,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24336949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angel1622/pseuds/Angel1622
Summary: Zoro wakes up on Going Merry without the slightest shred of memory from the previous night. What's even worse, his swords are missing and the first person he gets to see is the cook - with one foot close to crushing the swordsman's chest and a broken arm.
Relationships: Roronoa Zoro & Vinsmoke Sanji
Comments: 45
Kudos: 187





	1. Wake up, Zoro

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thanks for choosing my story! I hope you'll enjoy it.  
> The action takes place before the Reverse Mountain. I believe it's canon compliant.
> 
> Have fun!

„Zoro.” He heard a muffled voice he couldn’t quite place “Zoro, can you hear me?”

Of course he could, what kind of question was that? He opened his mouth to answer, but after giving it a second thought closed it. Talking seemed way too tiring for him. He’d rather take a nap than have a conversation right now. Whatever the voice wanted, it could come back once he was awake.

“Zoro!”

He groaned quietly, finding the voice really annoying, but slowly opened his eyes nonetheless. The light stabbed him mercilessly, pain wrapping around his barely awake mind and squeezing at it, almost earning a pained yelp from him. Along with the ringing in his ears. No, he wasn’t going to wake up right now. To think he’d have such a hangover, he couldn’t even remember drinking–

Zoro frowned deeply when he reached to the depths of his memory, trying to determine why would he actually get so drunk. He was positive they didn’t throw up a party, because Nami wouldn’t let them spend so much money on booze. But they were about to dock at an island before sailing to the Reverse Mountain and then Usopp said something about an odd illness he was suffering from.

Then, there was _nothing._

Despite the earlier pain, his eyes shot open wide as he realized that what happened later wasn’t a blur or single images flashing through his head – there was a void, as though just a couple of minutes ago he had been standing on Merry’s deck, but somehow ended here with a tremendous headache after a blink. Something was wrong, and whatever he’d been doing right before, he surely wasn’t taking a nap. The blank space in his mind is like an impenetrable wall and is honestly terrifies him.

 _Something_ happened.

“He’s awake.” The third time he heard the voice his mind slowly realized that it belonged to Nami. Slightly scared and nervous, but still Nami. Zoro could even see a flash of her red hair when he looked up, although after a moment she was gone.

His first attempt to sit up was an unceremonious failure as the world started spinning which was _not_ helping his headache in the slightest. With a loud _thud_ he fell on his back, grimacing as he felt his body ache in several other places. Those had to be nasty bruises, but where the hell did he gain them? This whole situation was really fucked up.

Before he got the chance to try and lift himself up again, he was stopped by a crushing pressure being put on his chest and successfully holding him down. A loud groan escaped him as the sudden action made all his aching places respond. He managed to lift his head up a little, noticing it weren’t hands that forced him to stay in his position.

It was a goddamn _leg_. Zoro didn’t have to look up to know who it belonged to, but still did.

“Cook, what the–“ He started, but all his words got stuck in his throat when their eyes met.

The cook didn’t look well. He had dark circled under his eyes and his hair was messy. Even though, his eyes were vivid, looking at Zoro with a cold composure, watching his slightest moves. The swordsman knew that look, it was the one the cook always had whenever he faced an enemy. Why the hell did he look at his crewmate that way?

“What’s your name?” The question was so irrational that for a moment Zoro only stared at the other man with wide eyes, eyebrows raised. _What. The. Hell._

“Cook, don’t fuck with me. You know me–“ The swordsman hissed quietly when the pressure on his chest increasing whilst the man leaned over him a little more. In the corner of his eye, he could see his left arm, bent in the elbow and covered in something white – wait, were those bandages? “What happened to your arm?

“What is your name? Who are you?” The cook ignored Zoro’s question completely, but the swordsman noticed how he tensed up slightly at the mention of his injured limb.

No wonder, he’d often tell the swordsman how important his hands and arms in general were for him. That was why Zoro vowed to never aim for them with sparring with Sanji, which on its own would be quite a challenge given they were always hidden in his pockets.

“What’s wrong with you?” The swordsman frowned deeply. “I’m Zoro. _Zoro_ , idiot.”

After a painfully long moment of silence, Zoro felt the cook’s leg being taken off his chest and soon found himself sitting and staring right into the man’s eyes. Nami wasn’t there anymore, even though the swordsman couldn’t really recall when she left.

“For fuck’s sake.” The cook sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair. “Here you got me thinking the moss finally ate up the rest of your brain cells.”

“What the hell is going on, cook?” Zoro groaned, rubbing his temples. “I don’t have a damn clue.”

“Go take a bath.” It was hard for the swordsman to keep on a straight face given that _take a bath_ wasn’t really what he expected to hear after waking up without the slightest shred of memory from last night. “Check if you’re injured anywhere.”

Before Zoro got the chance to ask another question, the cook turned on his heel and left the room, carefully closing the door behind him. Letting out a heavy sigh, he shook his head slowly, collecting himself and standing up.

The room kept spinning for the first couple of seconds and he had to secure himself with the wall to not hit the floorboards. He’d never felt that way before. Confused. Helpless. _Weak._

_What the fuck happened last night?_

* * *

A huge weight was put on Sanji’s shoulders as soon as he left the room. With a sigh, he looked at Nami, who’d apparently been waiting for him. It wasn’t hard to tell just how concerned she was about Zoro, especially after It turned out the man didn’t remember a thing.

“You were right.” Said Sanji, leaning on the wall and pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. With one swift move one of the rolls was already in his mouth as his hand searched for the lighter. “Such a moron.”

“What do we do now?” asked Nami, looking up and biting her lip. Sanji lit up his cigarette and took a deep drag, cursing when it didn’t bring him the relief he craved.

“We’ll see.” Although his voice was calm, it took a deep breath for him to be able to speak up again. “Perhaps someone just did it for fun. He’ll have to check if he’s okay before we set sail.”

“You know that’s not what I mean.” Stated the navigator, shaking her head. Sanji looked down, knowing exactly _what she meant_. “I don’t want to be here when he finds out.”

“Don’t worry. You’ll be safe.” The cook’s fingers clenched around the lighter. “I won’t go easy on him next time he tries anything funny. For now, let’s hope Usopp and Luffy return soon.”

“I don’t want you two to fight.” Nami’s voice was as quiet as a whisper. For a moment, their eyes met again, so that he could see the concern and sadness she felt. “Not like you did yesterday.”

Sanji closed his eyes and nodded slowly. True, Zoro and him spar a lot, but there were certain lines none of them are allowed to cross. Sanji couldn’t kick the swordsman’s swords out of his hands, and Zoro could never _fucking_ ever aim for the cook’s arms or hands.

Those were the only two rules that have ever regarded their little arguments, but also crossed the thin line between the fights they always had and a real battle.

He could still remember the look in Zoro’s eyes last night. It wasn’t hard to tell something was wrong about the shitty swordsman, at the time Sanji had a hunch his opponent wasn’t really himself.

It wasn’t _a pirate_ he fought against, it was a goddamned _beast_.

“That’s not going to happen.” He assured Nami by giving her a small smile after a moment of heavy silence. “He’s pretty harmless now anyway. I should be able to handle him without even breaking a sweat.”

“Yeah, right.” Her voice was too quiet, too weak to make him fall for her words. The sound of her cries still echoed somewhere in Sanji’s head, only putting more weight on his chest.

He, a man who should never harm a woman, brought Nami to tears last night.

* * *

Usopp could pretty much tell that he didn’t have to say a word. His expression probably gave their failure away already.

He was tired. And really frustrated that even with his hawk eye and the captain’s instinct they spent a whole day searching through the island and still were helpless. Only thinking about it made him feel bad, but facing the rest of the crew was worse than he expected.

Nami seemed a little disappointed, but Usopp was pretty sure she had predicted things would end up that way. Sanji though, he tried to act cool but it was impossible not to notice how crooked he was or how heavy his moves were, most probably due to exhaustion. Usopp sighed, realizing the cook had probably stayed up the whole night watching Zoro.

It didn’t occur as highly surprising to him though, taking both of their shifts seemed only logical from Sanji’s point of view. Usopp himself still felt shivers running down his spine whenever he thought about facing the swordsman.

Damn it, it was difficult to talk to him before as one wrong word usually pissed Zoro off, but now? The sniper wasn’t sure if he even wanted to look him in the eye. It made him feel bitter because, well, _Zoro_ was the first mate, a person who should always be trusted. Right now, the sniper wasn’t sure what to think himself.

“Is Zoro okay?” asked Luffy. “Is he awake?”

“He’s in the bathroom.” Answered Sanji, blinking a couple of times and rubbing his eyes. “But it seems like he’s alright. Whatever shit it was, it seems to have worn off.”

The captain relaxed a little after hearing the cook’s words, but Usopp didn’t. He still found it hard to believe something like that happened to _Zoro_ of all people.

“Luffy.” Sanji’s face was unreadable as he slowly looked up, meeting Luffy’s eyes with his own. “I want to talk to the swordsman first. He’s probably going to get pretty mad.”

“Shouldn’t Luffy speak to Zoro before we do?” Usopp raised an eyebrow, quite confused by the sudden request. “He’s the captain after all.”

“Luffy shouldn’t do that _because_ he’s the captain.” There was something in the cook’s tone that assured Usopp that was not a matter he should agree on or protest against. He watched his crewmate trying to light up a cigarette with his uninjured arm. _Which one was it?_ “Listen, we all saw how he acted yesterday, even though he wasn’t himself. You know how much he respects the hierarchy on the ship. I don’t want him to do something he’s going to regret later.”

The sniper looked down. This whole situation was wrong. It shouldn’t have happened but yet, here they were, unable to look their first mate in the eye the way they used to before. One-armed Sanji, terrified Nami and Luffy, who was most probably blaming himself for everything because _he was the captain._

They hadn’t even reached the Grand Line yet. The day before, Usopp felt like with this crew, he could achieve _everything._ Now, he wasn’t even sure if he would wake up in the morning. And _of course,_ it was most probably never going to happen again, but the fear was real, and for some reason it refused to wear off.

“It’s okay.” Luffy spoke up, nodding slightly. “I trust you, Sanji. But please, _don’t hurt Zoro._ ”

Usopp could swear he noticed the cook’s eyes go a few shades darker, but whatever was on Sanji’s mind, the sniper wasn’t able to tell.

“Don’t worry.” Usopp couldn’t read a goddamn thing out of the cook’s expression or tone as the man sighed deeply, closing his eyes and relaxing a bit. “I won’t fight him if he’s at such a disadvantage. It’d be pointless.”

* * *

“So, are you going to tell me what happened to your arm or not?”

Even though Zoro felt just how much he wasn’t in the position to talk to the cook like that at the time, he was running out of patience and hiding frustration was never his thing really.

 _Something_ was wrong, _something_ happened last night, that much he knew. Perhaps it was out of irritation or confusion or fear, but he had to make the cook talk. Otherwise, it was going to drive him crazy.

The bastard’s silent presence didn’t help at all. Ever since the cook had entered the room, Zoro couldn’t shake the feeling of the other man’s eyes piercing through him, silently judging him for things he couldn’t even remember.

“What is the last thing you remember?”

Sanji was clearly indifferent to Zoro’s frustration. There were two reasons that came to the swordsman’s mind at that moment – the cook was either exhauster or trying to pretend he was calm, sitting there with a cigarette in his mouth, smoke lazily filling the air.

“I was on the deck.” Zoro closed his eyes, trying to recall more details. “We were about to dock on an island. Can’t really remember why. Then, there’s nothing.”

The cook nodded slowly, his eyes not leaving Zoro’s features. There it was, the look from before. The one reserved for hostiles. Fucking _hostiles_. _What. The. Hell._

“Are you injured anywhere? Any stitches, fresh cuts?”

“Just some bruises.” Zoro shook his head slightly. He had his suspicions regarding where those came from judging how nasty they were, but he wasn’t going to ask about it. “Cook, I want to know what happened.”

To his surprise, instead of talking back to him, Sanji _sighed._

“Listen up.” He said after a moment of silence. “First of all, you have to promise me whatever happens, you won’t leave this room until we finish talking or I say so. Get it, mosshead?”

Zoro hummed, nodding slightly.

“Good.” Sanji seemed to have relaxed a little at the response, however was still far from letting his guard down. “Here’s what you have to know. We docked at this island and split up. Haven’t seen you the whole day. Nami-san told me to go and fetch you when it started becoming dark. I found you outside a bar, you were fighting some guys. At first I thought you were drunk, but soon you blacked out. Completely.” He looked the swordsman in the eye, his expression going a few shades darker. “What I’m trying to say, is that you’ve been fucking _drugged_.”

Zoro’s throat clenched. For a moment, his brain kept repeating the sentence over and over again, as if fruitlessly searching for another meaning. He would’ve understood if it was Nami, because on islands like that it wasn’t so uncommon for a girl’s drink to get spiked, but _him_? And why didn’t he remember getting into a fight–

“Cook.” His eyes widened when he realized what was _really_ wrong. “Where the fuck are my swords?”


	2. The night when it happened

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we get to know what happened the night Zoro's drink got spiked.

Nami choked down a sob, pulling her knees close to her chest and burying her head in them. She thought it was okay, but now that Zoro was awake she couldn’t stop the images constantly replaying in her head. Her wouldn’t stop shaking even after she clenched her fists, praying for the anxiety to go away.

_“Sanji! You’re back–“_

The smile she managed to put on faded away when she laid her eyes on the cook’s face.

Sanji’s eyes were widened as he frantically looked around the deck. Supporting Zoro’s body with his arms, the swordsman completely limp. At the time Nami refused to believe that, but it was the first time she had seen Sanji so _terrified._

“Where’s Luffy and Usopp?” his usual, calm and charming tone was gone. “Please call them. Something’s wrong with Zoro!”

There was something in the way he used the swordsman’s name that made Nami’s heart clench. They had been sailing together for a while now, but she had never heard Sanji saying Zoro’s name out loud. It just didn’t happen.

“Sanji, what’s wrong?” Luffy was already there, concern painted all over his face. He didn’t have to look at the two to sense that the situation is serious.

“I found him in an alley close to the bar. His swords are gone, He’s barely responding to me and he has no fucking clue who he is.” Nami’s eyes widened and she instantly covered her mouth with her hands, shaking her head in disbelief. “I… I think he had his drink spiked.”

“Zoro!” The captain turned to the swordsman, calling his name all over again. “Zoro, are you alright? Can you hear me?”

Sanji slowly let go of the swordsman, securing his body when he began regaining balance. Something about Zoro’s moves concerned Nami – they were rapid, just like the man was angry at someone. The others must had felt it too, because she noticed the small frown on Sanji’s face and how Luffy suddenly stopped talking.

“Leave me… the fuck alone.” Growled the swordsman, pushing the cook away with a little too much force to call it just an annoyed gesture. Nami took a step back. Something was wrong with him.

“Zoro, what are you doing?” Luffy frowned deeply. “Sanji only wanted to help you!”

“I said. Leave me alone!” The navigator flinched when Zoro raised his voice. He had never done that before, not when speaking to any of his crewmates, Luffy in particular.

The swordsman clenched his fists while taking a step in Luffy’s direction and Nami gasped quietly when she realized he was actually going to start a fight if they didn’t think of something quickly. Why the hell was that happening? Zoro would never lay a finger on any of them. He had his ideals and Nami didn’t know anyone who’d respect hierarchy more than him. Going against Luffy…

Suddenly, the swordsman gasped loudly when one of Sanji’s heels connected with his stomach. Nami’s eyes widened when she saw the cook spin and pin Zoro to the ground with one of his feet.

“Sanji!”

Luffy tried not to act confused, but his shaky voice belied him. It’s not like he was to blame – on one hand, Sanji shouldn’t act so aggressively given that they still didn’t know if Zoro was injured, but on the other, there was no telling what the swordsman was going to do next.

“I’m not going to let him fight you.” The cook’s voice was calm, however the look he gave the captain was dead serious. “You know how much that bastard cares for the hierarchy and his ideals. I won’t let him do something he’s later going to regret.”

Luffy didn’t respond to Sanji’s words, but instead sat down, cross-legged, and put both his hands on his knees. The way he always did when he was waiting for something. Nami noticed a spark of gratitude in the cook’s eyes as he slowly lifted his leg off the swordsman.

The response was instant. In a second, Zoro was back on his feet and exhaled deeply, looking at Sanji. The cook put up his guard, slightly lifting one of his legs and waiting for the swordsman to attack.

“No matter what happens.” Sanji spoke through gritted teeth, but loud enough for everyone to hear. “Don’t interfere.”

Nami thought watching the two fight wouldn’t seem like anything strange, they sparred all the time when there was nothing to do, but she was wrong. It was different. _Zoro_ was different.

At first sight, it indeed looked like nothing but a heated argument between the two. Except that Zoro didn’t have his swords and didn’t respond to any of Sanji’s insults. But after looking closer, Nami _noticed._

Some of Zoro’s attacks were making it past the cook’s defense. Even though it didn’t seem like a big deal, the navigator couldn’t unsee the way Sanji winced every time they did. Uneasiness kept rising inside her as she watched the cook slowly being pushed towards the railing.

She knew that neither of them were fighting at the peak of their power. The swordsman wasn’t moving in the rational, strategic way he usually did. His moved were chaotic and only meant to hurt the other person. Just like he was in a trance.

Sanji, on the other hand, wasn’t fighting like they meant business. His moves were focused on defending himself rather than damaging Zoro. Nami clenched her fists, watching the two clash over and over again and cursing both of them.

Zoro, for losing his mind and ruthlessly throwing himself at a friend.  
Sanji, for not even trying to win.

A particularly strong punch connected with the cook’s stomach and he took a few steps back, gasping loudly.

“Sanji!” screamed the navigator, reaching her hand to Sanji but quickly retreated when their eyes met. The cook gave her a small smile, although his frown belied him.

“It’s alright.” He said, running a hand through his hair and straightening up. “All that bastard is good at is slicing. He has no idea how to deliver a decent punch.”

She wished she could just believe him, but the look he gave Zoro after collecting himself spoke volumes.

Watching those two fight like that hurt. Mostly because Nami knew neither of them really wanted it. Arguing over trivial matters and sparing were one thing, but there was no telling what was on the swordsman’s mind or what he was going to do next.

“Zoro, please.” She looked at the first mate, hoping her words would reach him. “It’s enough. You two don’t have to fight.”

The moment his eyes met hers, she felt her skin crawl. Zoro’s look was distant, as though he wasn’t fully there. Her throat clenched. It wasn’t supposed to be happening. There had to be a way to reach him!

“You.” He said, half-growling and pointing a finger at her. “Shut up.”

“Eyes over here, bastard.” Before Nami knew it, Sanji was already in the way between her and the swordsman. “You’re not going to insult a lady, conscious or not.”

They clashed again and the navigator held her breath as she saw the cook being slightly put at a disadvantage. Although most of his moves were only blocking Zoro’s attacks, she could see some of the punches breaking his guard and connecting to his torso.

Sanji did his best to hide any signs of pain on his face whenever another hit was laid on him, but all Nami could see were the twitches of his eyebrows or how jaw or fists clenched. A loud gasp escaped him when Zoro’s fist found his solar plexus and for a moment he lowered his guard completely, trying to regain his breath. Nami watched in terror as the Zoro raised his fist again, aiming for the cook’s head.

“Stop it!” She screamed and for a moment the swordsman stopped in his tracks, looking at her. “Please, Zoro. Sanji didn’t do anything wrong! Stop hurting him!”

The swordsman slowly turned to her and a spark of hope ignited inside her as he retreated from the attack and stepped back from Sanji. He finally _heard_ her. She gave him a half-hearted smile as their eyes met, but the swordsman’s gaze seemed distant.

A thousand words ran through her mind as she thought how to play that out, now that Zoro finally reacted. Everything she wanted to say, though, died on her lips as she saw him clench his fists again, this time walking in her direction.

“Zoro?” She asked, fear slowly creeping up her mind. “Hey, Zoro! Stop, please! _Please_!”

She felt tears in her eyes as she started backing off until the cold wooden surface pressed against her back. There was nowhere to run now, and Zoro was walking her way like he was in a trance. No, it wasn’t Zoro. He would never hit her, no matter how much she frustrated him with increasing his debt. No matter what she said or did, he would _never_ hurt her.

The swordsman raised his fist and she screamed in terror, closing her eyes and covering her face, but instead of a punch she felt someone push her away and fell to the floor, the impact on her elbow strong enough to leave a bruise. Shocked, she opened her eyes.

“Now you’ve gone too far. I’d never think you’d actually try to hurt Nami, shithead.”

A quiet gasp escaped her when she saw Sanji, pinned to the wall by Zoro, struggling to set himself free. His face showed nothing, although the way he fruitlessly tried to jerk himself out of Zoro’s grip belied his composure.

The cook probably could’ve broken out of the swordsman’s grip, Nami noticed that Zoro’s kneecaps were easily within his reach, but that would end in serious damage for the swordsman, not to mention they were just about to go to the Grand Line. She watched in awe as Zoro reached one of his hands and clenched his fingers around Sanji’s wrist, bending the whole limb under an angle far from natural.

“You fucker.” The cook’s voice was quiet, _too_ quiet as he started to struggle even more desperately, _frantically._ As soon as Nami realized what Zoro’s intentions were, she covered her mouth, feeling tears welling up in her eyes.

“Zoro, don’t! Stop doing that, stop hurting Sanji!” She shouted over and over again until her words turned into some sort of maniacal cries and begs, but it seemed like her voice didn’t reach Zoro at all.

For a brief moment, her eyes met Sanji’s, and her throat clenched when she saw nothing but fear in them. She was so scared, some part of her still refused to accept that it was _Zoro_ trying to hurt his own crewmates. It felt unreal, just like she’d just found out she was dreaming a nightmare, but couldn’t wake up.

“Come on, Zoro! It’s enough!” In the corner of her eye, Nami noticed Usopp’s silhouette moving. “Whatever you wanted to prove, we believe you! Stop this fight!”

“Stay away!” Sanji’s raised voice was so unexpected the navigator couldn’t help but flinch. The cook tried to turn his head the way to see the sniper, breath coming out in short pants. “Don’t get close!”

“Usopp.” It took a moment for Nami to realize the one speaking was Luffy, perhaps because his voice was so _cold_. “Do as Sanji says.”

“What?” The sniper’s eyes widened. “Luffy, Zoro’s about to–“

“Whatever is going to happen, this is Sanji’s fight!” The captain put a hand on his hat, covering his face with it. “Don’t get in his way.”

Nami felt shivers running down her spine when she looked back at Sanji, fruitlessly jerking and trashing in Zoro’s grip. His lips kept moving as though he was saying something, but the navigator couldn’t hear anything.

Apparently, the swordsman _could_ , because his face went a shade darker as he twisting Sanji’s arm until a loud _crack_ could be heard.

The scream that tore the air was something Nami had never heard before.

Before anyone noticed, Sanji jerked his head back desperately, connecting with Zoro’s forehead. The swordsman cursed and stumbled away, covering his face with one of his hands.

Nami’s eyes turned back to Sanji and her heart clenched when she noticed how one of his arms was now limply hanging by his side. She couldn’t see any blood staining his shirt though, which was a small blessing in disguise, but still. For Sanji, to have something happen to his arm…

A particularly strong kick landed on Zoro’s side and Nami flinched slightly when the swordsman hit the floor with a loud _thud._ That attack was nothing like those from before – she could tell Sanji was using way more of his strength.

She first noticed something was wrong when the cook didn’t back off after having Zoro knocked down on his back. Consecutive kicks connected with the swordsman’s torso and nothing seemed like they were going to stop anytime soon. Nami’s eyes wandered to Sanji’s face and she covered her mouth with both her hands.

There was no trace of his usual cool, his lips were pursed and hair fell into his eyes as he spun and kicked Zoro time after time, as though the swordsman was nothing but a training bag. Eyes full of wild rage, unknown to Nami, were locked on one spot, supposedly Zoro’s face.

She had _never_ even imagined those ocean eyes could handle such fury. At the moment, if they weren’t crewmates, Nami would’ve believed the cook wanted to _kill_ Zoro.

“Hey, Sanji.” Usopp’s voice was only a little bit shaky, but it didn’t go unnoticed by the navigator. “I think it’s alright now. I don’t think Zoro’s going to fight back now…”

At first Nami thought it was just the distance that made Sanji deaf to Usopp’s words, but after a few louder repetitions she felt her heart skip a few beats. He wasn’t going to back off. She felt her breath catch in her throat as a particularly strong kick sent Zoro crashing on the railing.

“Sanji!” she shouted, urging to run there and stop him, but at the same time too afraid to take a step in his direction. She knew the cook wasn’t going to hurt her, but some part of her was still jittery after what Zoro _almost_ did. “Sanji, stop! That’s enough!”

Immediately, Sanji’s eyes widened and he froze, just like he’d just gotten out of a trance All the fury suddenly was gone as he took a few deep breaths and looked away from the swordsman.

His eyes were different than before - the rage was gone, replaced by shock, pain and _fear_. All signs of hostility or readiness to attack faded from him as he clenched his healthy hand over the injured arm, cursing slightly.

Nami let out a shaky breath and felt herself relax a little. _It was over._

“Zoro!” Luffy and Usopp were already by the swordsman’s side, examining him with concern painted all over their faces. “He’s unconscious!”

“He’ll get out of it.” Sanji took out a cigarette and flinched when his other arm impulsively reached for the lighter, visibly causing him pain. “What we should be worried about is the shit he’d been spiked with.”

“Nami, we’ll take him to your room, okay?” Luffy sent the navigator a worried glance and the most she could utter was a simple nod. “Usopp, help me get him there.”

While the captain and the sniper carried Zoro to her room, Nami walked towards Sanji and took a closer look at him. His arm, although she failed to notice that earlier, was bent under a slightly unnatural angle and she could guess only letting it hang limply was painful. But what was truly concerning was how jittery he looked.

His eyes were open wide and alert and he only seemed to had calmed down after taking a long drag of the cigarette he finally managed to light up. Nami couldn’t blame him for that sort of behavior, she herself just _couldn’t_ stop trembling, even though everything was over now.

“Let me help you with that arm.” She said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder and smiling weakly. “ _Bell-mère once taught me how to deal with such injuries.” Avoiding the term broken seemed appropriate given just how much everything Sanji did was to protect his hands and arms._

_“Thank you.” He also gave her a small smile, turning his head away so he could exhale a cloud of smoke. “It’s not that serious, though. You’re probably not fine either after I pushed you. I’m sorry for that.”_

_“Don’t be ridiculous, it’ll be a bruise at most.” She shook her head slightly. “It would be much worse if you didn’t. Now, may I?”_

_She gently took his injured arm, pressing it in some places to check how severe the damage was. All while being cautious of Sanji’s reaction. Thankfully, it didn’t look like it was going to take long to recover. A few weeks at most. The only problem would be to keep it immobilized for such a long period of time._

_He winced impulsively when she pressed the spot that seemed the closest to where the bone was broken and suddenly the image of the terror he had in his eyes was all brand new in her memory. It was something she had never seen before and certainly wished to never see again. There was something about it that made her hands tremble uncontrollably. She hated fear, more than anything._

_“It’ll be okay.” She said reassuringly, letting go of Sanji’s arm. “You’ll just need to keep it immobilized for a while.”_

_“Right.”_

_Nami swallowed a bile that formed in her throat seeing the warm smile he gave her that didn’t really reach his eyes._

***

“Let me out!” Roared Zoro, breathing heavily and giving Sanji a furious look.

“I’m not done talking to you yet, idiot!” The cook really didn’t want to get into an argument with a shocked and disorientated swordsman, but letting the bastard out was not an option there. Not in that state.

“We can have this talk later. Now move, I have to get them back!” Zoro took a step closer and Sanji put his guard up almost immediately, crooking slightly and moving all his weight onto one of his legs alone.

“You’re not leaving this ship unless everyone feels comfortable with you doing it again!” Zoro stopped in his tracks instantly, his eyes widening. He took a few deep breaths, trying to find another meaning to the man’s words. There was none.

“What did you just say?” Something was _so_ wrong. His swords were gone, he had just found out he had been drugged and now the cook was fucking teasing him about _something_ he couldn’t even remember. Zoro was shocked and his mind was a mess, but most importantly he _couldn’t_ calm down.

“Don’t make me repeat myself.” The cook’s voice was back to that cold composure it had back when the swordsman had first woken up and something about it triggered him even more. They were crewmates, for god’s sake. Friends. Why was the lovesick bastard treating him like a hostile? “Listen, this is your warning. I won’t fetch you here next time you let someone do shit with your booze.”

“Now you’ve gone too far!” Growled the swordsman, involuntarily reaching his hand for one of his swords, only to find thin air and make him even more frustrated. The cook also noticed it and even though his expression or the way he looked at Zoro didn’t change, he also prepared himself for a fight.

“I’m not letting you out unless you calm your shitty ass down.” He shook his hand slowly, shifting so that the majority of his body was now shielding his injured arm. Zoro snorted.

“What, you stopped trusting me because someone decided to make a fool of me? I never knew you thought so lowly of others, cook.” As soon as the words left the swordsman’s mouth, he noticed how the cook’s face had changed. His eyes widened slightly as he grit his teeth, staying silent for a moment.

“You.” He said eventually. “You’re a fucking idiot. You’ve got no idea just how serious the situation was. You’re lucky they only took your swords.”

“Don’t try me, cook.” Zoro half-heartedly growled because even though what the man was saying was simply ridiculous, there was something about the way he spoke that concerned the swordsman. Something that wasn’t normal for the cook.

“They could’ve cut your organs out while you were unconscious.” The dartbrow’s voice was way more calm than before, and quiet. _Too_ quiet. “They could’ve sold you to the Marines. Or turn out to be human traffickers and make you a slave. What they gave you could’ve fucked up your insides or get you instantly hooked or make you a fucking vegetable for the rest of your miserably short life, Zoro.”

The swordsman froze slightly. Not only because of what the cook told him, but also because he had just been called by his name. By the shitty, lovesick bastard. It had never happened before and something about that fact at the same time made Zoro feel serious and, although it was loath to admit it, a little anxious.

He wasn’t a man who’d surrender to fear, but there was no greater fright for one than the unknown. It referred to everything, from change to death and the void in his mind that he so desperately urged to fill. No man was fearless and Zoro wasn’t an exception, but the amount of uneasiness he’d been put through over the last few hours was becoming unbearable.

“They could’ve done _anything_ and you wouldn’t be able to move a finger to stop them.” The tension slowly faded away from the cook as he returned to his previous, exhausted and calm self. “We have no clue if the shit they gave you has any side effects. If you got it, then stay on the fucking ship.”

Zoro also relaxed slightly, feeling the urge to storm out of the room and go searching after his swords lessen. It was rare for him to agree with the cook, but it would be plain dumb to say the man was wrong.

“Usopp and Luffy tried to find your swords last night. We’re not going to give up on searching for them, moss-for-brains.” The cook _almost_ smiled in an assuring way, and he probably would if Zoro wasn’t the one facing him. The door closed behind him with a subtle _click_ and Zoro fell back on the bed, sighing deeply.

The cook wasn’t telling him _something_.

***

“Oh… oh, there you are.”

Sanji didn’t turn around from the meal he was currently working on. Usopp knew damn well he was going to be in the kitchen around that time, so he was probably just trying to pluck up the courage to speak up. Which was funny in a way, because that was what he always did when trying to talk about something he found personal.

“So, you know, we’ve all been through some bad stuff recently, and even I, the Great Captain Usopp, have to admit that–“

“If you’re here to ask questions, just do it.” The cook sighed, attempting to cut some vegetables using only one hand. _Shit._ It was troublesome, it was slow but most importantly – it was just pretty annoying and Usopp dancing around the issue was the last thing he needed right now.

“Right.” The sniper cleared his throat. “I’ve been wondering… just how much does Zoro know?”

“…Enough.” Said Sanji after a moment of silence. “He knows enough.”

“Sure, enough it is.” Usopp’s voice wasn’t trembling, but it was dangerously close. “You know, I’ve been wondering what to tell him if he asks me, so…”

“Well, now you know... _fuck_.” The cook cursed when the knife slipped, _almost_ cutting his fingertip off. He had to hold himself together, there was still so much to do. Giving in to exhaustion was out of the question.

“Do you need help with that?” The sniper walked a few steps closer. “You know, I could always cut those for you. It has to be a pain doing it with only one hand.”

“It’s okay.” Sanji stopped him by raising his healthy arm. “I can handle it. Is there anything else you want to talk about?”

“Actually, there is.” Usopp let silence fall between them for a moment, to the point the cook started growing impatient, before speaking up again. “You didn’t tell Zoro about your fight, did you?”

Sanji froze for a short moment, the knife in his hand stopping mere inches from the ingredients. Telling Zoro about the fight, _huh_.

Of course, there was a part of him telling him to go there and do justice to the mosshead by making him realize just how much he screwed up the previous night, but what use was there to do it? The swordsman wasn’t even himself, not to mention none of that was his fault.

In fact, the one to be blamed was Sanji himself. Firstly, for not noticing something was wrong when with Zoro before it was too late, and secondly, for not stopping him when he had the chance to. He could, and probably should apologize to the swordsman, but it was still too early. He had to figure everything out himself first.

“I told him enough.” He said eventually, getting back to the disrupted activity. It didn’t soothe him as much as he wished it would. “There’s nothing he has to know that he doesn’t already.”

“Roger that.” Usopp sighed slightly, leaning on the counter. “That makes it only one thing I still want to ask you, I think.”

“Let’s get it over with, then.” Sanji put down the knife and reached his hand for some spices, already checking boxes in his imaginary recipe. It wasn’t going to be anything gourmet, but it should at least have all the necessary nutrients.

“Why did you hold back?” Sanji’s eyes widened slightly, but he didn’t stop in his tracks that time.

“You know, Usopp, why don’t you go and ask Nami if she wanted anything to drink before breakfast?” He asked instead of replying. “I bet she’d love some tea.”

“Oh… yeah." Usopp hesitated for a moment, but Sanji knew he got the message. "She probably would.”

Soon, the door clicked shut and the cook let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair and pulling at it.

_Why did you hold back?_

What was he supposed to tell Usopp? The truth? He didn’t know himself why he didn’t just beat the swordsman up before the fight engaged for good. Perhaps he didn’t want to fight the swordsman in such state. Perhaps he was afraid the drugs already did their job with fucking up Zoro’s insides.

Perhaps he believed quiet _pleading_ and calling his name would stop the mosshead from breaking his arm.

Sanji held back a yawn, rubbing his eyes. A cup of coffee would be a good idea if he wanted to survive the rest of the day somehow. There was still a lot to do.


	3. Sanji goes out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sanji does what is still to do, and Zoro is grounded.

Everything was okay now that he got rid of that terrible headache and the feeling of dizziness. Except that it wasn’t.

The first person to give anything away was Usopp who _flinched_ when he approached Zoro for the first time. Normally, the swordsman would simply shrug it off, thinking he surprised the sniper, but it was Usopp who came to check on him.

_“What’s wrong?” Zoro frowned deeply, noticing the sniper’s unusual reaction._

_“No… it’s nothing, nothing at all.” Usopp smiled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “I just came in to make sure you’re fine. Want me to tell anything to the others?”_

_“Tell the cook I’m going to kill him for grounding me here.”_

_“Sure.” The sniper chuckled slightly, but Zoro noticed how he tensed up. Something must had triggered such reaction, and he didn’t like it because he had no clue what it could’ve been._

As good as Usopp was at making up stories, hiding fear was never really his thing and the fact that he apparently was afraid of _Zoro_ only made the first mate more confused about the whole situation.

Nami wasn’t much better, even though she seemed to simply be _avoiding_ him the whole time instead of simply giving away how uncomfortable she felt around him.

The swordsman tried to talk to her two or three times, but she always gave him short, confusing answers before walking away. A while ago, he’d probably find it pretty convenient since the Sea-witch’s constant bitching about his increasing debt could be annoying at times, but now it just made him feel more lost.

The cook was nowhere to be seen ever since the end of the breakfast, so trying to get anything out of him wasn’t an option either. Perhaps that’s why Zoro ended up sitting on the railing next to Merry’s figure head. Right beside his captain.

“It’s you, Zoro.” Luffy didn’t even turn around, his eyes locked on the waves clashing with the harbor. “Is something wrong?”

“Not with me, I guess.” The swordsman ran a hand through his hair. “But Nami and Usopp have seen acting strange since I woke up. I was wondering why.”

The captain didn’t respond for a while and Zoro would lie if he said it didn’t make him uncomfortable. He could understand Nami or Usopp thinking a while about how much to tell him, but Luffy was the person to always shove whatever was on his mind right into one’s face.

“They need some time to think.” Said the captain eventually. “Everyone was really worried about you.”

“I don’t know what to think.” Admitted Zoro. “The shitty cook won’t tell me anything but the big picture of what happened.”

“Well, he said he was going to take care of things, so maybe you should have more faith in him.” Luffy shrugged, crossing his arms. “Sanji’s a smart guy, I trust him.”

“We all do.” Zoro sighed, wishing he had a bottle of sake in hand. “I also asked him about his arm a couple of times–“

“Zoro.”

Luffy turned around and Zoro had never seen such expression on the captain’s face. Although he seemed calm and relaxed, there was something the swordsman couldn’t quite place which gave him the feeling like he’d just said the one word he shouldn’t have.

“Sanji probably didn’t tell you this, but you owe him a lot.”

For a brief moment none of them made a move, simply looking the other one in the eye. But then Luffy cocked his head to the side, picking at his nose and just like that the threatening feeling was gone, like it’d never been there in the first place.

“Well, I guess you guys should talk some more instead of fighting all the time.” The captain jumped off Merry’s figure head, walking away.

“Yeah, we probably should.” Zoro hummed, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

He had to get to the bottom of that. Everyone kept dancing around the issue, giving him confusing answers or signs and he’d already become quite annoyed by it all.

Fine, someone spiked his drink and it was serious, but there had to be something else. Not to mention Luffy’s words, since when was the captain so mysterious? And why did the cook seem to play such a big role in what happened?

The bastard had better been prepared for a long explanation the next time they crossed paths.

* * *

Sanji lazily took a drag of his cigarette, looking around. The town was very peaceful, but it didn’t mean he should let his guard down. Somewhere out there, _they_ were hiding. The thought alone that _they_ could be anywhere out there, acting like usual citizens, made him feel uneasy.

_Look at you, Roronoa. So pathetic._

_I bet we’ll get quite a sum for the Pirate Hunter’s head, even if there’s no official bounty on his head._

The bar wasn’t so far from where he was, actually. He could go there and check if he could find any clues, but the chances were too dim. On top of that, he could get recognized if he went there for no reason and buying a drink was out of the option.

He didn’t even get a look at their faces. All he could recall was the swordsman, lying unconscious on the ground. It took him a few kicks to get rid of those people, maybe that’s why he couldn’t remember them. Everything he could think about was how _motionless_ Zoro was.

_You’re going to regret getting in our way._

Sanji stopped at the door of a building looking quite old for the vivid, colorful town.

“A sword shop, huh.” He sighed slightly, looking at the signboard. The chances of finding what he was looking for inside were ridiculously low, _too low_.

He’d searched through the whole town trying to find any clues or places or people who could’ve been associated with the thieves from the previous night, but there was no shred of the men. If not the fact that the mosshead’s swords were missing, the cook could safely assume those people never existed at all.

A sigh, this time a longer one, escaped him and he blinked a couple of times, trying to chase away the exhaustion. Even though he’d had quite a lot of caffeine in the morning, it was already long past noon and the tiredness was starting to kick in again.

It was probably around dinner time. Shit, he’d spent too much time in that town, the rest would start worrying if he didn’t return to the Merry soon.

Going inside and at least having a look couldn’t hurt now that he was already there, could it? The darkest place was said to be under the candle, after all.

* * *

“Hey, Nami!”

“What do you want?” The navigator raised her head, slightly annoyed as she’d told Usopp to not disturb her when she was drawing maps a thousand times. Her tone quickly went from annoyed to surprised, though, when she noticed the concern painted all over the sniper’s face.

“Have you seen Sanji?” Usopp licked his lips, taking a deep breath. Something was odd, the sniper was nervous and she could tell it.

“He went out to get tobacco and restock food.” The navigator frowned slightly. “Hasn’t he returned yet?”

“All I know he’s been gone since the morning.” The sniper crossed his arms. “I thought you’d know where he is. You know, he’s a little more effusive when it comes to you.”

It was irrational for Nami to feel uneasy, because Sanji was strong and could probably take care of himself better than Zoro, but still, there was something about his absence that made her wonder if _something_ also happened to him.

“I also haven’t seen him for a while.” She didn’t really have to look at Usopp to know he also felt that way.

“Nami, do you think he also…” Usopp didn’t finish the sentence, but he didn’t really have to. Both of them knew exactly what was on his mind. _Did Sanji also get his drink spiked?_

“No.” She shook her head firmly, pushing the thought away. “Sanji wouldn’t even get close to alcohol after what happened last night.”

Which she truly believed. The cook was a reasonable person, even though he didn’t act so at times. After the previous night, Nami didn’t think even a woman could convince him to drink anything offered by the locals.

“Still, it’s unusual for him to just disappear for so long without a word.” Usopp nodded to himself, but before he had the chance to add anything, Luffy’s figure appeared between him and the navigator.

“You guys, have you seen Sanji?” The captain cocked his head to the side slightly, crossing his arms. “It’s already dinner time, but he wasn’t in the kitchen when I checked.”

“He told me he had to buy some food and tobacco.” Nami sighed, turning back to her map. “I don’t know why he’s not back yet.”

“But he got his tobacco yesterday.” Luffy frowned slightly and the navigator’s eyes widened. “I talked with him about it. It’s not like you have to buy it every day, right?” Nami froze.

“He did?” She asked, raising her eyebrows and trying to sound collected.

“Yeah, I’m sure of it.” The captain nodded, crossing his arms. “Do you want me to bring it here?”

“No, there’s no need.” Nami bit her lip, giving it a second thought.

Sanji lied to them _._ They’ve known one another long enough for her to know he wouldn’t do such a thing. There had to be a reason for him to go all alone in the city without telling anyone about it. A reason for him to avoid the truth.

Did he know something the rest of the crew didn’t? Did something happen before he brought Zoro to the Merry? Was there something else?

“I…” Usopp spoke up, getting her out of her thoughts. “I think he wanted to find Zoro’s swords.”

“Like all of us.” The navigator shook her head. “There has to be something he didn’t tell us about which made him do it on his own.”

“Perhaps things didn’t really go the way he told us.” Suggested the sniper. “You know, perhaps someone spiked Zoro’s drink because they had some business with him. You know, as the Great Captain Usopp I once had to deal with a mad scientist who tested drugs on group of children–“

“Yeah, right.” Nami nodded, leaving the rest of the story behind. “But why would anyone go after Zoro? He doesn’t have a bounty on his head, so Marines shouldn’t be interested in capturing him. Do you think he got under someone’s skin when he was a bounty hunter?”

“That’s not impossible.” Usopp hummed, nodding. “A bloodthirsty pirate seeking revenge after being defeated by an unknown man wielding three swords–“

“Usopp.”

“Sorry…” The sniper cleared his throat. “But yes, we can’t discard that option in Zoro’s case. The question is, why didn’t Sanji say anything about it if he knew?”

“Perhaps he forgot about it?” Luffy cocked his head, shrugging slightly. “You know, everyone was really nervous, perhaps he just didn’t think about it?”

“That doesn’t explain why he didn’t talk to us _after_ we managed to calm Zoro down.” Nami shook her head. “Maybe he just thought solving it on his own would be easier.”

“Or he didn’t want to worry us!” the captain nodded. “Yeah, that’s like him.”

Reluctantly, the navigator agreed. On one hand, it was very nice of Sanji to try to solve the matter himself without worrying them. On the other, weren’t they friends? They may not have known one another for long, but they were crewmates. They _had_ to trust each other, or the crew was sure to fall.

“So… we don’t actually know anything.” Usopp sighed. “What if he got into trouble? Those guys might really be scary!”

“I think we should go find him.” Luffy put a hand on his hat, determination clear in his eyes. “We’re going, Usopp.”

“Wait, Luffy!” Nami stopped the captain by putting a hand on his arm. “We’re still not sure _if_ something happened, plus you have a bounty on your head! You can’t just walk around the city when it’s full of people. What if someone calls the Marines before we find Sanji?”

“You do have a point here, Nami.” Agreed Usopp. “I think we should give Sanji some more time. Perhaps he just went there to look for the swords and would return in a while? Making a fuss about it would probably make him annoyed at best.”

“You guys might be right.” Said Luffy, slightly calming down. “Okay! We’ll give him time until sunset. If he doesn’t show up, we’ll go. Right?”

“Roger that!” The sniper smiled slightly, but the smirk didn’t really reach his eyes. Nami felt something inside her stomach churn. She hoped they were just overreacting. That Sanji would be laughing in the afternoon after hearing how worried they were.

She did, really.

* * *

“Welcome, sir.” The man behind the counter greeted him with a smile. “I’m glad you chose to stop by in our store. Our blades are of best quality…” Sanji let his words behind, looking at the weapons hanging on the walls, shiny and spotless.

There was something about that order which made his stomach roll, reminding him of things he wouldn’t like to remember.

“So, the day’s pretty warm, isn’t it?” The salesman’s voice reached the cook again as he took his eyes off the blades. “Perhaps you’d like something cool to drink?”

“I’ll pass.” Sanji shook his head slightly, instantly becoming more cautious of his surroundings. It could only be his paranoid mind whispering things to him, but one spiked drink was more than enough for the crew.

“We don’t have guests very often.” The man stepped from behind the counter and walked towards the cook. “Very few people fully worship the art of forging. Many switch to guns.”

“It surely has to be tough for places like these.” Sanji’s eyes caught a glimpse of white, but as soon as he turned his head in that direction, he realized the displayed blade wasn’t Wado. It did look similar, but the hilt looked differently after giving it closer look.

 _Screw it_ , why did he even remember how the mosshead’s swords looked like?

“Well, I don’t deny that things were easier in the era of swordsmanship. But luckily there still are men worth wielding real weapons.”

The cook didn’t have to turn around to know he was being watched. Whether because the salesman was worried about his goods being stolen or for other reasons, he couldn’t tell. Zoro’s swords weren’t there, he was sure of it now. But something in his gut was telling him not to leave yet.

“So, are you looking for a short sword, dagger, katana? We have all kinds of weapons.” The salesman walked around the store, pointing his head at various weapons. “Or maybe it’s the colour you’re into? White?”

Sanji wished he kept his cool, but apparently the way he froze at the mention of the colour didn’t go unnoticed by the man. It couldn’t be an accident. The man couldn’t have _guessed_ he was looking for a white sword.

“Oh, I see you have a sentiment for the colour! Does it remind you of something close to your heart? A loved one? A friend? It’s not so unusual for people to link their feelings with colours of their swords.” Mused the salesman.

A strong urge to leave the store as soon as possible rose inside Sanji’s mind, but he pushed it away. He had to be cautious now. That salesman definitely wasn’t the person he claimed to be. Perhaps he’d already recognized Sanji, but there was still a chance he was only checking him out. In case of which, perhaps the cook could get some information from him.

“There’s no particular reason.” He looked around, trying to sound bored. “Is that everything you’ve got?”

“Of course not.” The man shook his head, smiling. “There are more in the back, but they’re real rarities. I suppose a man with your taste would at least like to have a look?”

It took all of Sanji’s willpower not to frown at the salesman’s words. It _reeked_ of a trap, even if it was just him being extremely cautious and the guy didn’t necessarily have to have any connection with the people who stole Zoro’s swords, it was _way_ too suspicious.

Still, if the katanas _were_ there, there was no telling for how long.

The cook clenched his teeth slightly, torn between following the back and returning to Merry and telling the others he found the swords. Luffy probably wouldn’t have a problem with dealing with whoever was behind that, he’d already defeated the most dangerous pirate of the East Blue.

_But._

If the salesman was working with the thieves and they could recognize him, they could change their hideout or take the swords somewhere else. _Or_ sell them. Sanji definitely didn’t want either of those to happen. He _couldn’t_ let any of those happen.

There was also the possibility that the swords weren’t there and they were just trying to lure him into a trap. But he didn’t even have a bounty on his head and hadn’t been a part of the crew for too long, so chances of them going for him specifically were low.

“Let’s get it over with.” Sanji sighed, shrugging slightly. “I’m quite busy today anyway.”

“I promise it won’t take long.” The man assured him, walking behind the counter and putting his hand on the handle of an old-looking door. “Shall we?”

The cook followed him and the moment he stepped through the door, he needed a moment to adjust his eyes to the dark. There was no source of light inside whatsoever, or at least the salesman didn’t bother to make use of them.

“Please, take a good look and see if anything here catches your eye.” Said the salesman. Sanji’s eyes scanned the room quickly, searching for the stolen swords.

They were there, there was no mistaking it. All three of them.

Sanji could clearly distinguish them from the rest of the blades stored in the small room. Wado, with its white sheath standing out from the blacks and browns, and the other two which names he couldn’t recall at the moment. He’d seen them too many times not to be sure.

The katanas, _Zoro’s_ katanas, were placed far away from one another, whether by pure coincidence or to make it harder to take all three of them, the cook couldn’t tell. What he was sure about, though, was that he had to think quickly if he wanted to get out of there with the swords.

His eyes widened when he felt a sting to his neck and he quickly jumped away, covering the spot with his hand. There was another person in the room, holding a syringe in one of their hands and chuckling.

“That’s the one.” A man stepped out from the shadows, smirking and the cook’s skin crawled when he recognized the voice. “The troublesome guy from yesterday.”

“Very well.” The salesman nodded, chuckling nervously. “So, I take it my part’s done?”

_Shit!_

Although the cook couldn’t feel any symptoms yet, he wasn’t dumb enough not to figure what was happening to him. There was no time to waste. A curse escaped him when he swayed slightly, a warm feeling started spreading all over him, making him feel even more exhausted than he already was.

“You know, I thought Roronoa himself will show up for his famous swords, but you’re not bad either. It’s a pity there’s no bounty on your head, though.”

Sanji ignored the words, quickly grabbing one of Zoro’s swords, the closest one to him and rushing to get the other from where it was laid. Wado was a few feet further, but he had to try and take all of the swords before the drugs would start working.

The man previously holding the syringe tried to get in his way, but one kick was enough to push him aside. Sanji had to stop in his tracks for a moment, feeling slightly dizzy and supporting himself with the wall. _Fuck._

“Don’t overdo it.” The voice seemed more distant than it did a while ago. “The mix we prepared for you should already be working. You’d black out before you know it. No worries though, we made sure you won’t rage out like Roronoa did.”

The statement was followed by a chuckle, but Sanji left it behind as he grabbed the second sword and rushed towards Wado, panting as every consecutive move caused him more trouble than the previous one. He was fine, but there was no telling for how long. And he had to get the swords back to Merry.

Something hit him and he lost his balance, hissing when he fell on his injured arm, the pain suddenly bursting out. For a moment, it dissolved the haze embracing the cook’s mind, making everything sharp. He started kicking blindly until he felt his foot collide with flesh and heard a pained grunt.

“Shit.” He cursed, struggling to get up.

There wasn’t much time left and he could feel how his moves were slower when he got ran out of the store, trying not to lose any of Zoro’s swords while rushing through the streets. Holding all of them wasn’t easy, and his arm and legs were slowly giving in.

He took the first turn there was, mostly because he knew the two from the store were going to collect themselves quickly. His kicks weren’t powerful enough to make them lose consciousness, he could feel that and even now when he tried to force his body to run he was terribly slow, as if in a dream.

The alley he found himself in was probably the one where local stores had their back doors, because rows of barrels and boxes, probably left there after supply restocks, blocked it almost completely, but it was a great place to hide the swords.

 _Hide the swords._ The thought kept nagging Sanji for a long time, but he stubbornly refused to let it sink in for the whole time, hoping he would show a little more immunity to the substances flowing in his veins.

He wasn’t going to make it to the Merry.

One of the barrels seemed to be big enough to easily fit the swords. Securing the lid with his shoulder, he threw the swords inside and stepped back, leaning on the wall and breathing heavily.

Chances were those thugs wouldn’t find the blades there, but he had to get as far away from them as he possibly could. If he only managed to find a hideout where they wouldn’t find him, maybe he could get them back later and get back to the others.

Suddenly, his legs buckled under him and he slid to the ground, panting. Trying to keep his eyes opened was a struggle. Running must had rushed the effect of drugs. _Fuck._ He had to get up and hide, only a little further…

“Are you okay?” The cook slowly turned his head in the direction of the voice, noticing a young girl examining him. “You don’t look well.”

_A kid. If those guys found out…_

“I’m fine.” He said quietly, giving her a small smile. “I’m just tired.”

“What did you hide in there?” Sanji blinked a couple of times when the girl’s image started becoming blurry. He was so fucking tired…

“Something…. a friend of mine lost.” He said, panting and tugging at his hair to stay awake. His legs gave up when he tried to push himself up on one of the boxes, but he barely noticed when the ground rushed to meet him.

“Why would you hide something your friend’s lost?” The girl cocked her head slightly. “Wouldn’t it make it harder for them to find it?”

“Hiyori, stay away from that man!” Sanji slowly raised his head, noticing an adult’s silhouette standing behind the girl. Judging from the voice, it was a man, but the cook couldn’t see clearly anymore.

“You, what are you doing here?!” The man was visibly nervous. “Stay away from my child! We don’t want any trouble!”

“Help… me.” The cook tried to reach his arm to one of the barrels so that he could support himself with it, but his hand couldn’t reach it. Did he even move it? “Please.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Although they were just mere feet away from one another, Sanji could barely hear the voice. It sounded distant and muffled. He couldn’t even feel his body anymore, his mind was embraced with the blissful feeling of peace and safety he knew wasn’t real.

That was it. The furthest he could get. Not even a step away from the swords. They were going to find him, and once they did, they would also take the katanas. _Damn it._ He couldn’t recall when exactly did he close his eyes…

_Shitty swordsman, I’m so fucking sorry._


	4. Usopp is so dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Usopp and Luffy go into the town looking for Sanji. They find something they didn't expect to.  
> Meanwhile, Sanji wakes up.

“I… I don’t think we’re going to find him like this, Luffy.”

Usopp hesitated for a moment, looking around as if searching for a sign of Sanji, even though he knew it was fruitless. They shouldn’t had waited for so long. Once again, he gave his surroundings a brief look, just to be sure.

“Sanji has to be somewhere here.” Luffy shook his head, crossing his arms. “I’m sure of it.”

“I know, I know.” Said the sniper, letting out a sigh. “But it’s late. I don’t think we’ll just spot him laying or walking around somewhere in the streets. If he fell into the hands of those people who tried to get Zoro, he’s probably locked up somewhere.”

“So maybe he’ll answer if I call out his name.” said the captain, clenching his fists.

Usopp smiled bitterly. He wished he had as much enthusiasm as Luffy did, but they’ve already been searching for a long time, and with every passing minute he could feel his hope of finding Sanji withering away. The more they searched for the cook, the greater the uneasiness rising inside his stomach.

Why would anyone want to abduct the cook? Sanji didn’t have a bounty on his head and as far as Usopp knew, he didn’t really have enemies. Unlike Zoro, who most likely got under someone’s skin as a bounty hunter. If the person standing behind the cook’s disappearance and what happened to Zoro, what would their objective be?

“Saaanji!” Luffy kept calling the cook’s name over and over again. Usopp put a hand on the captain’s arm, shaking his head slowly.

Sanji had been too quiet about the whole thing, but Usopp couldn’t really blame him. Everyone was exhausted and terrified because of what happened to Zoro, trying to solve the mater alone really sounded like the cook, but still, he should had known better.

Just like when he didn’t let anyone join his fight with Zoro. Or stayed up all night to watch over him. Or took talking to him about everything on himself. Or went out to get his swords back by himself.

“It’s okay, Luffy.” Said Usopp, looking down. “We’ll come here again later. Let’s go back.”

“I’m not going to leave Sanji out there.” Luffy put a hand on the shawl covering his hat, clenching his fingers and wrinkling the delicate fabric.

“I know.” Usopp looked down. “But all we can do for now is return to the Merry. Nami asked us to get some food for everyone, remember? Zoro and her have to be starving after the whole day.”

“Then let’s split! You’ll go back to the others and I’ll keep looking for Sanji.”

“That’s the one thing we _can’t_ do!” said the sniper. “The reason we’re looking for Sanji is precisely because he thought the same way. Listen, it’s already dark. Tomorrow, we’ll go into the city and ask the people if they’ve seen Sanji, okay?”

Truth be known, Usopp also didn’t like the idea of returning empty-handed again. He knew Nami and Zoro were counting on them, besides the sniper didn’t even want to think about what could be happening to Sanji with every passing hour. He could be questioned, tortured, abused or… Usopp didn’t even want to name all the horrible thoughts coming to his head.

Luffy remained silent for a moment, clenching his fingers around the covered hat, before looking down and nodding slightly. Usopp sighed, taking his hand off the captain’s shoulder.

“Alright then. Let’s go find some place that’s still open and would sell us some food.”

* * *

Sanji opened his eyes reluctantly, groaning quietly. His mind was a little hazy, making him unable to think clearly. The room he was in was dark, no windows… bars in front of him. Was he in a cell? How did he get there? _Ah…_ Zoro’s swords. Did he even find them?

“It’s good to see you’re finally awake.” The cook heard a low voice next to him and tried to turn his head in that direction, only to find it was too heavy to move. His whole body felt numb, like it didn’t belong to him at all.

“I was starting to worry we overdosed and you’re done.” Continued the voice, and for some reason Sanji felt like he should recognize it. The hazy feeling in his mind didn’t let him put it together, though.

He tried to talk back, but all that got out of his mouth was a sluggish, incomprehensible noise. The voice next to him chuckled some, watching his fruitless efforts.

“Well, don’t strain it.” It said, moving closer to the cook and making him urge to flinch. “The sweet thing we gave you will keep someone of your caliber in check for a while. No need to worry, though. You’ll need that strength later.”

Sanji’s eyes widened in shock, his breath caught in his throat. Fruitlessly, he tried to kick the voice away, finding the action too exhausting for his legs to move. _Shit,_ for a moment there, his mind became clearer, but the warm feeling of bliss quickly returned, embracing his consciousness like fog.

“I know some people out there will pay quite the sum for someone like you.”

The cook felt the voice move and soon a silhouette of a man appeared in front of him. Again, a feeling of familiarity nagged him and he cursed his inability to put the pieces together.

“Turning you in would be easier, though. Too bad there’s no bounty on your head, they’ll probably execute you right away. A shame indeed.”

The man grinned widely as Sanji frowned slightly, trying to collect his thoughts. Was the man a human trafficker? He could be, but then again, the Marines didn’t work with such people… not officially, that is. The man wasn’t alone… the cook was sure he’d used the form _we_ at least a couple of times. Then, the Marines… were they after Luffy’s bounty?

“I told you not to strain it.” The man sighed, shaking his head. “Well, not to mention what we’ll earn from selling you, I bet you have some pretty faces in your crew too, don’t you?”

Sanji’s eyes widened when he realized he had been talking about Nami. Rage flooded him as the picture of her being sold to some Celestial Dragon to serve and pleasure them came to his mind. He wouldn’t let _anyone_ lay a finger on the navigator, be it a king or a god.

The cook shot his interlocutor an icy stare, holding the gaze up for a few seconds before quietly mouthing _fuck you_. The man grimaced.

“As expected of a pirate, you’ve got quite a foul mouth.” He said. “Seems like you don’t quite understand your current situation. Let me show you something then.”

Sanji followed the man with his eyes, trying to focus on him and blinked several times. His interlocutor moved to the side and the cook felt bolts running through his injured arm when the man grabbed it. A quiet hiss escaped him.

“It seems like Roronoa has done some pretty things to this arm of yours.” Mused the man, tightening his grip. “Quite the paltry way of saying _thank you_ , isn’t it?”

Sanji slowly turned his head around, feeling the world spin as he did. The moment his eyes locked with the man’s, he gave him the most homicidal, hateful stare he managed to. His response was a low chuckle.

“Now, now, don’t give me such looks.” The man smiled widely, putting his other hand on the cook’s forearm. “Let’s see if I can do something about that pain of yours.”

That said, he proceeded to slowly straighten the cook’s arm. Black spots blurred Sanji’s vision when sharp pain exploded in his injured limb. It felt as though it was on fire, any further and something inside would snap.

For a moment, all of the haze surrounding his wits was gone, and there was nothing but pain radiating from his arm. Sanji threw his head back, gagging up a scream and closing his eyes shut. The man didn’t stop straightening his arm though, making him muffle another scream and bite his lip to the point he could taste blood.

“Although your moves are a little handicapped, the pain is quite real, trust me.” The man’s voice was as quiet as a whisper, teasing the cook, making him curse under his breath.

Something inside Sanji’s arm cracked and the cook could no longer hold back a pained scream, his vision going black. The man slowly let go of his arm and stepped away, smirking as the pirate curled around his hurt limb, panting, with droplets of sweat forming on his forehead and fresh tears in the corners of his eyes.

“Looks like we’re going to get to know one another a little better next time.” He said. “I’ll tell my friend to give you a smaller dose so you’ll talk to me properly. Remember – the less you struggle, the easier things will turn out.”

Sanji didn’t open his eyes until he heard the man leave the room and walk away. His mind was still focused on the pain radiating from his arm. Whatever the man just did, couldn’t have improved its condition. After a few failed attempts to clench his fist the cook cursed loudly, giving his surroundings a brief look.

One good thing about the pain was that it successfully moved away the haze tangling Sanji’s thoughts, making him able to analyze things clearly. The place he was locked up in looked like, or in fact was, a cell. With stony floor, ceiling and walls, safe for metal bars and door.

The stench of rotten flesh and blood suddenly hit the cook and he fought the urge to puke. Could he be in a prison? Dungeon? It didn’t look like a place run by the island’s judicature. Which called, he shouldn’t count on any human rights being respected there.

Not that it mattered. If the man resorted to using drugs to keep the cook in check, he couldn’t be much of a threat. He probably wouldn’t even put up a real fight. Which meant, all Sanji had to do was to come up with a way to get over that stupid drug restraining him.

He wasn’t going to sit and wait patiently for the others to come and rescue him. _Not a chance._

* * *

Although the fishmonger kept smiling politely, Usopp couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was wrong about him. Normally, he wouldn’t pay so much attention to the man’s body language, but perhaps it was because of Sanji’s disappearance that he couldn’t stop noticing small details about him that just seemed off.

For instance, his hands were a little too shaky for someone working with knives all the time.

“I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen you two around before. Are you foreigners?” Asked the fishmonger, wrapping the pieces of meat Luffy and Usopp chose earlier. They weren’t of best quality, but the sniper guessed he shouldn’t expect more from fish that had been laying in the sun for the whole day.

“Yeah.” He nodded, taking out the purse Nami provided him with and counting the coins. As expected, it wasn’t much. “Would that be enough?”

“Of course, it’s not like I should take the full price for those.” The man smiled half-heartedly. “You know, people tend to buy fish in the morning, when they’re fresh.”

“I know, I know.” Muttered Usopp. “You’re a pretty nice guy, by the way.”

“I’d call it honesty.” The fishmonger counted the coins, then put them in his own pouch. “So, what’s your business in the town? I don’t think I’ve seen your faces before.”

“We’re looking for a friend.” Said Luffy before Usopp had the chance to come up with an answer. “Have you seen a guy with bangs and a swirly eyebrow–“

“Luffy!” The sniper almost shouted, putting a hand over the captain’s mouth and turning to the fishmonger. That was _way_ too close. “I’m sorry, if you don’t mind it we’ll be going now…”

The sniper hesitated when he noticed how the man’s face changed. His eyes were widened, expression of true horror painted all over. Usopp had to fight the urge to look behind himself and exchanged worried glances with Luffy.

“You _do_ know something, don’t you?” Said the sniper, crossing his arms. The fishmonger looked around carefully, then rubbed his sweaty hands in his apron.

“…Come with me.” He muttered. “Quickly.”

Usopp couldn’t help but look at Luffy when the man invited them inside. The man might have looked scared or uneasy, but chances were Sanji had fallen in the very same trap… They couldn’t be too careful.

“It’s alright, Usopp.” The captain assured him, stepping forward. “I think we can trust that guy.”

The sniper nodded slightly, holding back a sigh and followed the fishmonger. No one spoke up until the three of them had passed the doorframe. Usopp looked around, his eyes trailing over different framed kinds of fish, hunting equipment and nets.

“You should watch your tongue more.” The man finally spoke up, walking towards a pile of old boxes and carefully looking around. “In towns like this, walls have ears.”

Usopp watched carefully as the man opened one of the boxes, taking out a bundle and handing it to Luffy. The way the captains face fell made the sniper clench fingers around his slingshot immediately.

“What’s inside?” Asked the sniper, feeling his heartbeat race.

“Fishmonger, where did you get this?” said Luffy with a shaky voice, his eyes widened.

“I have nothing to do with your friend.” The man said calmly, taking a step back.

“Where did you get this?!” Luffy shouted. “Fishmonger! Where is he?”

“Take it and leave. I don’t want any trouble.”

“Where is he?!” Usopp had never seen his captain so shaken. Luffy could barely stand in place and it was obvious how much he urged to rush at the fishmonger. “Tell me! Where is Sanji?!”

“Luffy!” Usopp raised his voice, trying to gather the captain’s attention. “Luffy, calm down! What’s inside that bundle?”

The Strawhat said nothing as he unpacked what was covered with the cloths. Usopp’s throat clenched when he noticed three way too familiar katanas hidden underneath the material. His eyes went directly to the fishmonger.

“The man… with the eyebrow, he hid them in one of our barrels.” Said the man, his hands trembling again. “My daughter found him, he was barely conscious by the time I found out.”

“Where is he now?” Luffy asked, trying to hold back the rage.

“I don’t know.” The fishmonger looked down. “He’s most probably going to be used as a bait for your captain. Or sold to human traffickers.”

“By whom?” Luffy’s eyes darkened when the man hesitated. “Speak!”

“Rumors say they’re working with the Navy.” The fishmonger shook his head. “Please, that’s all I know! If they find out, they’ll kill my family!”

Normally, Usopp would feel sorry for the man. Probably even sympathize with him. But at the time, he couldn’t think of anything other than the anger rising inside him when he thought that the man _had_ seen Sanji.

“You knew what was happening.” The sniper said between grit teeth. “You knew when you saw Sanji barely conscious. But you left him there.” The fishmonger’s face fell, but Usopp wasn’t about to let the man get away with what he’d done.

“It’s very bold of you to play the victim now.” His fists clenched and before he knew it, one of them connected with the man’s jaw. “You’re saying they’ll kill your family? Where was your concern when they were taking a member of ours?” His eyes narrowed. “He’d never let them take your daughter!”

“Usopp, that’s enough.” Luffy’s voice made it to the sniper’s enraged mind, making him regain his cool. “We’re leaving now.”

“Wait!” The fishmonger’s voice cracked a little. “Can you promise you won’t tell anyone I was the one to give you those swords? I beg of you!”

Silence lingered in the room for a moment when Luffy turned around, reaching a hand for his hat and putting it on. Usopp didn’t move, waiting for his captain to make a move.

“Let’s go, Usopp.” Luffy’s voice was as quiet as a whisper. “We have nothing to do here anymore.”

* * *

Sanji felt the air leave his lungs in an instant, and was mildly surprised to see blood coming from his mouth.

The thug wasn’t anything special, probably a good match for Usopp when it came to punching and kicking. Even though, the cook’s body had long ago became sore and he was sure the beating would leave quite a few nasty bruises. Well, at least he didn’t try anything funny with his arm, unlike his superior Sanji had the dubious pleasure meeting earlier.

“The headquarter is running out of patience.” _Speaking of the devil._ Sanji shot the man the coldest, most furious glare he could afford.

Another hit from the thug currently standing in front of him made his head bounce off the wall with a loud _thud_. The cook cursed, his vision going black for a second.

They didn’t inject him with anything, yet he could feel some shit flowing in his veins, disturbing movements and hazing his mind. It was weaker than last time, because he was able to speak and didn’t have such a problem with collecting thoughts, but made him unable to move or fight back.

After some thinking, he figured it had to be the water. He hadn’t been given any food since he found himself in that place, but some thug brought him water shortly before Arm-Twist and Feather Punch, as Sanji called his current interlocutors, came in.

If not that, he was clueless.

“A little less curses coming from your mouth and I’d start thinking you’re not a pirate at all.” Arm-Twist smirked. “Even though my friends were sure it was you who helped Roronoa out the other day.”

“Wait a little and you’ll see for yourself how right they were.” Sanji snorted, hissing quietly when Feather Punch’s foot connected with his torso.

“You’re not quite in the position to talk back to me, rat.” Arm-Twist frowned slightly. “As I said earlier, we’re running a little short on time. There’s no need for you to make things difficult. A smart man like you probably figured out already that the less you struggle the better for both of us.” His eyes trailed over Sanji’s body, stopping on his features and locking their gazes together.

“However, just in case your mind is still a little handicapped, I’ll make things clear for you.” He said slowly. “We have no intention of harming you. The one we’re after is your crewmate, Roronoa. Help us find him, we’ll set you free. Refuse to cooperate,” Arm-Twist raised a finger. “and die here. Or get sold to some spoiled royal as a slave. The choice is yours.”

Sanji narrowed his eyes slightly. The man was lying. He wasn’t going to free him even if the cook led him straight to Merry, beat the mosshead up and bring him to them with a ribbon on top. Besides, in his current shape he wasn’t sure if he’d put Usopp down without being on the verge of passing out. His whole body hurt, not to mention it refused to move more than a few inches at a time.

Technically, he could just tell the bastards where his ship was, Luffy and Zoro would take care of them without even losing a breath. As simple as it was, Sanji would rather take one of the swordsman’s katanas and cut his ears off not to hear the mockery and laughing that would follow him if he couldn’t deal with such weaklings. _No fucking way._

“Actually, I guess I could be of some help.” Sanji wished he had a cigarette in his mouth. “You seem like an honest guy, but you keep saying something about _headquarters_ of yours. What guarantee I have they won’t request my head along with Roronoa’s?”

His sudden question seemed to have startled Arm-Twist, and the cook had to fight the urge to chuckle.

“You probably didn’t realize that by now, but we can’t waste our time chasing after shrimps who couldn’t even make a name for themselves.” The man said after a moment. “There’s no interest in you from their side.”

“So I take it you’re no ordinary bounty hunters, huh?” Sanji raised an eyebrow, slowly putting all the pieces together.

“And here I thought I already made myself clear. Let me spit it right in your face, rat.” Arm-Twist’s teeth flashed in a grin. “We’re from the Navy.”

Sanji choked down a curse, looking up and coming up with yet another way to kill the idiot swordsman. Just what the hell was the brainless pile of moss thinking getting under the skin of some Marine?

To be wanted for your bounty was one thing, but to piss someone enough to be wanted more than your captain represented another level of what the cook called _moronism._ The whole situation was so messed up it actually made the cook laugh out loud.

“Did I say something amusing?” Arm-Twist frowned slightly, crossing his arms.

“No, not really.” Sanji waited until he calmed down his breath. “Just the thought of Navy having to work with someone like you for some reason sounded really funny.”

“So that’s it?” The man gave Feather Punch a nod and the cook didn’t even try holding back the string of curses disgracing Arm-Twist’s family four generations back when consecutive hits landed on his ribcage and legs. He even used some of Zeff’s most sophisticated insults.

“Remember that I thought of you well, pirate.” Arm-Twist turned around. “Things weren’t meant to go this way, but you insisted on it. Sooner or later, we’ll find the rest of your friends. I bet you won’t be so eager to laugh once we get our hands on that pretty redhead of yours, now will you?”

Sanji felt wild rage take over him when he heard the man mention his dear Nami. Before his mind registered what was happening, his own foot moved, aiming for Feather Punch’s stomach, however his futile attempt to attack was quickly stopped when the man delivered another hit to Sanji’s head.

Dark spots blurred the cook’s vision for a second or two, skull-cracking pain taking over, but as soon as he came to, he glared daggers at Arm-Twist.

“Try touching her and you’re a dead man.” He threatened, clenching his teeth when he felt Feather Punch press his head down to the ground.

Arm-Twist didn’t respond, but the gesture he made at Feather Punch made blood drain from Sanji’s face. A pained yelp was torn from him when his broken arm had been grabbed, and no matter how hard he tried to struggle with the man, it was fruitless.

Loud _crack_ could clearly be heard before a throat-tearing shout echoed through the small room.

* * *

Usopp might not be the smartest member of Strawhat Pirates, or the most observant one or even the one with the best intuition. Even though, he knew letting Zoro take the night watch would be catastrophic in its results.

“Where are you going?” He asked, crossing his arms and watching the swordsman’s hand clench around the hilt of one of his swords.

“To get the cook back.” Even if the sniper managed to surprise Zoro, the man wouldn’t let it show. He made the statement sound as obvious as though he was going out for groceries.

“You’re on the night watch.” Usopp reminded him. “Who’s going to guard the ship when you leave? It’s not safe enough to just leave Merry at night.”

“Well, you’re here.” The swordsman’s eyes narrowed. “You can stay.”

“I won’t.” God, it was hard enough to just talk to Zoro after the last night, let alone argue with him. “You should wait until the morning and talk about it with Luffy.”

“Luffy might be the captain, but I don’t need his permission to do everything.” The swordsman snorted, and Usopp knew he was _pissed._ “I’m going.”

The sniper watched his friend turn around and before he knew it, his body moved on its own, getting in the way between Zoro and the island. He looked up, and if earlier the swordsman managed not to give away that he was surprised, this time it failed.

Too bad his eyes changed from surprised to annoyed so soon.

“What the fuck.” He said slowly, trying to walk past Usopp, but the sniper stopped him. “Usopp, let me go.”

“Don’t be reckless, Zoro.” It’d be a lie if Usopp said he _didn’t_ feel a little anxious looking an angry swordsman right in the eye. “You’ve already caused us trouble last time you went out. We can’t…”

“Get out of my way!” The swordsman shouted, _almost_ making his friend flinch. “I’m not going to repeat myself!”

“Neither am I!” Somehow, Usopp also managed to pluck up the courage to raise his voice. “Even before Sanji went missing, we all agreed on keeping you on deck so you don’t go berserk anymore!”

About a second after the words left his mouth, the sniper realized what the actual hell he’d done. A quick _holy shit_ escaped him as he covered his mouth, but it was already too late.

Zoro stood right in front of him, eyes wide, a sword almost falling out of his gap. _Holy shit!_

“What did you just say?” Usopp fought the urge to run away and cover in the corner.

“Forget about it.” He said quickly. If he managed to come out with how to get out of that mess in the following couple of seconds, there was a chance Zoro wouldn’t figure out how fucked up the situation truly was.

“Usopp.” _No such luck._ „What the fuck. Did you just say.”

Usopp was _so_ dead.

“I thought Sanji told you everything…” He trailed off, trying to put his words in an order which wouldn’t cost him his life once Sanji came back. “How you outraged last night and _almost_ fought Luffy then _almost_ killed Nami and then _not-so-almost_ broke his arm… oh my god.”

“I knew the bastard was fucking hiding something!” Zoro cursed loudly, aiming a punch at Merry’s railing. If the situation wasn’t as tense as it was, Usopp probably would scold him for ruining his masterful patchwork. _Probably._

“Well, Sanji told us you knew everything and so we agreed not to talk about it anymore… oh, he’s _so_ going to kill me when he finds out.”

“ _I’m_ going to kill you if you don’t start talking.” Zoro’s gaze turned back to Usopp, this time a little calmer yet deadly serious. “Tell me everything that happened. I need to know.”

The sniper gulped loudly, for a moment considering if getting killed by Zoro would hurt less than getting killed by Sanji. He was _super_ dead.


	5. Situations gone wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoro doesn't have much choice anyway after hearing everything from Usopp.  
> Meanwhile, Sanji gets in an argument.

By the time Usopp finished his talking, Zoro didn’t know if he was pissed at the cook – for not telling him the entire thing and trying to make it sound like _nothing happened_ , at the crew – because apparently _no one_ wanted to talk to him (even though now he had the picture _why_ ), or at himself – because _what the fuck_.

There was a lot of new information he had to proceed. First, he openly tried to start a fight with Luffy. With _Luffy_ , his captain of all people. If Usopp didn’t add anything from himself to the story (and he better didn’t), it was serious.

Second, he attacked Nami. Not only should the cook have beaten him up until unconscious, the swordsman wouldn’t complain if he accidentally smashed his head in the process. Third, he fucking broke _Sanji’s_ arm. For a moment, Zoro considered asking Usopp to actually take his own arm and smash it, no matter in which place.

He had to get away from the ship before doing more damage to Merry. He needed _blood._

“I’m going.” He said, even though he knew Usopp would try to stop him.

“You can’t.” The sniper frowned, putting a hand on his slingshot and shooting Zoro a look full of anger. “I won’t let you.”

Zoro snorted. He didn’t have time to fool around like this. Not when the cook was gone because of him.

“I don’t have time for this, Usopp.”

“We all agreed on keeping you on Merry!” The sharpshooter’s frown deepened. “It wasn’t just me, it was everyone! If Sanji was here, he’d–“

“He’s _NOT_ here!” Roared the swordsman, reaching a hand for one of his swords. The second he realized what was happening, he froze. He did _not_ try to aim his sword at a crewmate. “He’s not here, Usopp. That’s why I have to go.”

Neither of them made a move for the following few seconds. Zoro stared deeply into the sniper’s eyes, waiting for his move.

“You think you’re the only one who wants to go out there?” The sharpshooter finally spoke up, lowering his weapon and sighing. “You should’ve seen Luffy when I told him we have to head back. Or the way Nami looked at us when we showed up without Sanji. I’m not going to let another crewmate of mine disappear. That’s why I, Great Captain Usopp, will stop you here!”

Zoro smirked sadly, taking Wado out of its sheath and aiming its hilt at the back of Usopp’s neck.

“I understand how you feel, Long-nose.” He said. “But that’s why _I_ have to do it.”

The sniper opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something, but moments later his eyes closed and he fell limply on the swordsman’s stretched arm.

“I’m sorry.” Muttered Zoro, laying his friend down “I’m leaving Luffy and Nami to you. _Don’t_ leave the ship before I come back, okay?”

Now the whole crew had a good reason to hate him. Himself included.

It didn’t matter _where_ he was heading. It wasn’t like he had a clue where the goddamn cook could be. Nor did he know a thing about why the bastard was gone. _Fuck_ , he was so helpless. His crewmate was in trouble and all he could do was run in circles, hoping to wonderfully stumble upon them. _Pathetic_.

“Cook!” Zoro needed a few seconds that the voice calling actually belonged to him. “Where are you, you curly bastard?! Show yourself!”

Every consecutive building he passed, every turn, every flower – they all looked the same to him. There was no telling where he currently was. But that didn’t matter at all.

It was Zoro who fucked up. He couldn’t let the bastard pay the price.

A string of curses escaped him when – after a few more shouts and many, many identical alleys later – nothing really happened. It wasn’t like Zoro expected the cook to walk out of a tavern or anything, but _nothing_ was happening. It was the feeling of helplessness that made the swordsman clench his fist and smash it into the nearest wall.

“Come on.” The swordsman almost growled. “You’re not the damsel in distress to sit and wait for someone to rescue you. You have to be somewhere there, cook.”

Zoro didn’t even want to think of what could be happening to the cook. With every passing minute they all wasted on waiting for him to return, with every passing minute his abductors could…

Before he knew it, Wado was already out of its sheath, slicing through a box standing nearby. The swordsman started breathing heavily, feeling wild rage take over him. _It was his fault all of that was happening._

Consecutive slashes landed on everything in the swordsman’s sight – it didn’t matter if it was pointless, it didn’t matter if it wouldn’t help him find the cook. The swordsman couldn’t hold in the anger anymore. _The fucking cook did nothing wrong._

_Click._

It was a matter of moments. In one second, Zoro froze, eyes turning towards the source of the sound. Someone was standing right behind him, pointing a gun to his head. Not only that, one or two more silhouettes were in the swordsman’s range of sight.

 _Holy shit._ He was so reckless he didn’t even notice when they surrounded him. The swordsman felt his blood run cold. He’d never have thought someone would be able to come that close without him noticing.

“Roronoa.” Said the gunman, playing with the trigger. “You’re coming with us.”

 _Huh._ Zoro narrowed his eyes slightly, trying to get a good look at the man’s face, but the feeling of cold metal against the back of his neck stopped him. Those people, they knew him. It was probable they came there after him. The swordsman felt his heartbeat fasten.

“Don’t play any tricks on us.” Someone warned him. “We’re all armed. One foot wrong and you’re a dead man. Try resisting like that blonde friend of yours–“

Zoro could swear his heart actually skipped a beat when the thug mentioned – briefly but surely – the lost cook. Were those guys related to the dartbrow’s disappearance?

“Quiet.” Said the man closest to Zoro. “You’re going to walk as I tell you. Try outsmarting me, and you’re a goner.”

“I get it.” The swordsman raised his hands in surrender, sighing. “Don’t blame it on me if your clues will be tricky, though.” He clicked his tongue when the gun pressed deeper into the back of his head.  
“Alright, alright. Lead the way.”

Call it a blessing in disguise, but the swordsman didn’t really have a bad feeling about the whole situation. Firstly, the fact that he wasn’t yet a goner could mean those guys actually preferred him alive. Which gave him a small, yet not nonexistent, field to improvise without getting killed immediately.

Secondly, and more importantly, he was about ninety-percent sure those men were directly related to the cook’s abduction. If so, going with them could actually lead him to where the swirly bastard was. Which, no matter how he looked at it, was a win.

The only problem he could think of were the guns. He was sure the cook and him would find a solution to that as well once they came up with how to go back to the Merry. Just like they always did.

_Hang in there, cook. I’m coming for you._

* * *

Sanji turned over to the side, wheezing and blinking rapidly when tears started flowing down his cheeks. That bastard… the cook had never felt such pain before. He glanced briefly at his arm, now not only broken, but also bent under an angle it definitely shouldn’t have been.

“Fuck.” Sanji had to turn his gaze away, even though Feather Punch was long gone, the pain hadn’t lessened a bit.

One good thing, the drug stopped working. The cook could now think clearly and move his body at will, even though getting up and blowing his cover straight away didn’t seem like a good idea. He had to wait until someone showed up, perhaps then he could try to get out of that place.

After what felt like a couple of minutes, loud steps could be heard from the corridor (or at least Sanji assumed it was, he hadn’t really seen anything safe for the cell he was in). The cook didn’t even look up when a sack full of water was nearly thrown at his face.

“Drink it.” The man’s voice was higher than Arm-Twist’s or Feather Punch’s, Sanji noticed. Intrigued, he raised his head and looked the thug right in the eye.

“I said _drink it._ ” There was an annoyed vibe in the man’s voice that actually convinced Sanji to try and provoke him.

“Make me.” He spat through grit teeth. If what he thought was right, he wouldn’t be left alone with the water. They’ll try to force him to drink it.

The man frowned, visibly clenching his teeth, and pulled out a pack of keys. Sanji’s eyes trailed his hands carefully as he put the key in the lock and turned it. Once the lock gave in with a quiet _clang_ , the cook made his move.

His opponent surely didn’t see an attack coming, as Sanji caught him completely off-guard. One swift kick to the side was more than enough to neutralize the thug for another couple of minutes. He cursed quietly, however, feeling immense pain radiate from his whole body.

 _Damn it._ Whether it was a side effect to the drug or did Feather Punch actually manage to inflict some serious damage on him, the cook couldn’t be sure. He _was_ weaker. Nonetheless, it had to be enough to get out of that middle of nowhere, preferably after beating up Arm-Twist in before.

“Fuck it.” Muttered the cook, somehow getting up and leaning on the wall when the world started spinning. He had to get out of there before Feather Punch came to.

The place he earlier took for a corridor turned out to be quite a big room, with significantly more furniture than the cell the cook just escaped from. There was a large, wooden desk, a lamp, two chairs and a large closet, all of it submerged in half-darkness as the dim light coming from the lamps wasn’t enough to reach far from where they were.

With necessary caution, Sanji stepped into the light, casting a quick look at the desk. It was a big mess of maps, ink and wanted posters. With Luffy’s and the shitty swordsman’s pinned into the wooden surface with small daggers. The cook carefully stepped back, looking for the door.

As he made his way across the room towards the exit, he gave the closet a closer look. It was quite uncommon for a piece of furniture to stand in such a place, and if he looked closer he could see it was scratched and stained in a few places.

Not thinking much, he put a hand on the handle and opened one wing, his eyes needing a moment to adjust to the darkness inside.

_Holy. Fuck._

Sanji immediately took two steps back, feeling the air leave his lungs as his teeth clenched. _What the fuck._ His eyes trailed over the bloodied steel, shining weakly, yet dangerously. Handcuffs. Knives. Whips. Thumbscrews. All bearing marks of being frequently used.

It wasn’t like he didn’t expect to see torture devices in such a place. No, they weren’t the ones that made a cold shiver run down Sanji’s spine. At the very bottom of the closet, among other steel and leather objects scattered around, the cook recognized one.

His blood ran cold.

The door made a loud, ominous sound when he slammed it shut, shaking his head slightly and craving a cigarette. His hands were all shaky, his breath coming out in shallow pants. He didn’t have time to think about it, the priority was to get out of that place. _Focus, idiot._

Finding a way out wasn’t quite the problem. What was, for a change, was the thought of being caught. The cook found it particularly hard to concentrate and stay alert. The pain in his broken arm was slowly growing stronger, maliciously reminding him just how far it was from being _okay_. Which made him more nervous and panicked with every passing minute.

“Who would’ve thought you’d save us the trouble of finding you…” Sanji’s blood froze in his veins, relaxing slightly when he realized the voice was coming from behind the wall. _Good grief._ “Pirate Hunter.”

_No._

The cook stopped in his tracks, standing so still he could feel his own heartbeat. For a moment, it felt like the sound of his own breath was the loudest thing he’d ever heard.

“It was quite polite of you, I’m not gonna lie.” The voice continued, moving significantly closer to the wall the cook was standing behind. Sanji looked around. The door was quite close. _Shit._

“Cut the crap.” Snapped someone and Sanji couldn’t help cursing under his breath when he recognized that goddamn tone and manner of speech. _Fucking idiot._ “

The other man chuckled in response, and when the cook listened closely, he could hear several people moving inside the room. Two, maybe three? How strong were they? Any weapons? Swords? Guns? Devil Fruits?

Damn it, he couldn’t just run in there not having a clue who the hostiles were. And how the hell did they manage to capture the shitty swordsman anyway?

“Go call the headquarters.” Sanji took a step away from the door when he heard the voice move towards them. “Tell them we’ve captured the Pirate Hunter.”

Footsteps kept closing in. The cook clenched his teeth, frantically looking around. He wasn’t going to make it to room, there was no time. The way the door opened, anyone walking out would spot him right away. _Shit._ He wished he had a cigarette to calm him down.

“What are we supposed to do with him?” It was clearly Arm-Twists voice. Sanji pursed his lips.

“Just make sure he doesn’t move.” The man was already at the door. “I’ll go fetch his friend.”

 _Fuck it._ He didn’t really have a choice, now did he.

* * *

It wasn’t an easy task to surprise Zoro. He himself couldn’t recall many times he’d say he never expected something to come.

Well, the cook kicking one of the thugs in the wall along with the door he surely as fuck _didn’t_ see coming.

Several thoughts struck the swordsman at the very same time. First, the swirly bastard, his missing crewmate, was right in front of him, alive and without any lethal injuries. Second, there were still two other hostiles in the room. And they had guns.

Third, which actually should have come right after the first, was that the cook was a _bloody_ mess. There was blood on his face, some of it in his hair and staining his shirt, and he had multiple bruises in different colours all over his skin.

The next second Zoro’s eyes went down to his torso and the swordsman felt his blood freeze. His eyes trailed all over the cook’s arm, the one which was already broken previously, has now been completely torn out of its socket. Bent under the wrong angle and hanging limply by the man’s side.

“Look out, shitty swordsman!” Shouted the cook, and it felt like Zoro was rapidly taken out of a trance.

Without thinking much, he reached for Kitetsu, only to find empty space. Right, they took them the moment he

In the corner of his eye, he noticed the last of his abductors frantically struggling with his weapon as he tried to load it, when a familiar silhouette – dark and long as a shadow – made its way across the room to deliver a rib-cracking kick. Zoro couldn’t hold back a smirk.

“Not half-bad, shitty cook!” He exclaimed, throwing himself at the nearest opponent.

Against all odds, he felt strangely excited instead of being annoyed at the fact he’d been dragged all across the island only to find out his abductors were common shrimps. On the other hand, he found the cook.

“You’re the one who should have done it, moss-for-brains.” He heard the cook snort. “I managed to move from one side of the room to another and you just stood there with your jaw on the floor.”

 _Right._ So that was why he felt that way. Having the cook watch his back and fight by his side – even if in a scuffle like that, _even_ without his swords – felt like they could move mountains together. No matter how annoying the bastard could get, there was no replacement for him in combat.

“You’re welcome for saving your sorry ass by the way.” The cook put a hand in his pocket, like he used to when walking away after a fight.

“Yeah, you’re welcome for actually caring to look for you instead of sailing away.”

“Point taken.” Zoro frowned slightly when his friend sighed deeply, leaning against one of the walls and supporting himself with it. “So, wanna stay inside here until those guys wake up?”

“Seems like you’ve grown quite fond of them.” The swordsman crossed his arms. “Let’s get out of here before–“

It happened in one moment. He saw it in the cook’s eyes, when they widened as he rushed towards him. Then, he felt immense pain radiate from his side. Then, a sound so loud it almost made the swordsman flinch, tore the air.

_Bang._

* * *

_No._

Sanji’s vision went blurry for a moment. He felt as though he’d just found himself in a nightmare he couldn’t wake up from.

One second, he was mopping the floor with Arm-Twist’s face, taking all the pleasure in the action, and now he couldn’t think of anything but terror slowly taking over his mind.

His eyes were locked on the swordsman, who now stopped smirking in the cocky way he always did when getting the upper hand in their arguments, and parted his lips, eyes widening. A small crimson stain kept growing under his ribs, the color quickly taking over the white of the mosshead’s shirt.

Then, the cook looked at the door – or rather, where it _was_ before he kicked it out – and at the person standing in the empty doorframe, with a gun pointed straight at Zoro. A victorious smirk slowly made its way onto his lips.

_No!_

“There, there.” He mused slowly, stepping closer, locking his eyes with Sanji’s. “I thought you were meant to stay put. What an unpleasant surprise.”

But the cook couldn’t concentrate on his words. His thoughts were all centered around the swordsman, the way he remained unnaturally silent, pressing his hand to the fresh wound. Sanji knew it had to be bandaged soon if the mosshead wanted to get out alive.

Before he knew it, he started walking towards his injured crewmate, when another shot tore the air. The cook flinched, but quickly felt a trace of relief when he noticed the man pointed for the floor.

“I wouldn’t move if I were you.” He said, eyeing Sanji up. “The next shot is going to be lethal for your swordsman friend. I’d suggest you surrendered if you don’t wish him more harm.”

The mosshead shot the cook a furious glare, then clenched his teeth as he went a shade paler, swaying the slightest bit. Sanji felt his heart race as he desperately tried to think of a plan. There had to be a way out of there.

“Give up now.” There was no trace of the earlier politeness in the man’s voice. “Kneel over there and put your hands over your head. I want to see them. Or else I’ll shoot him.”

Sanji’s head followed where the man pointed, and he exchanged looks with the swordsman. He knew what the mosshead thought about surrendering in such a situation, he could read it out of his face. But if the cook didn’t act quickly, at least one of them was going to die.

A slight sigh escaped him as he slowly put his healthy hand up, never breaking eye contact with the swordsman.

* * *

_You bastard._

Zoro clenched his teeth tightly, locking his eyes with the cook’s. He couldn’t see the bastard holding the gun – he was standing behind the swordsman’s back – but judging from the way the dartbrow’s face fell moments ago, the guy was serious.

The wound in his side also didn’t seem like a minor scratch either – it wasn’t the pain that bothered him the most. It was how drained he felt with every passing second. If he didn’t do anything for the next couple of minutes, things could turn pretty ugly.

Which was exactly why he cursed himself loudly. For holding the cook back.

He wasn’t fine either. Zoro could clearly see how battered his friend looked, swaying slightly with every step, exhaustion on his face. The swordsman didn’t even want to think about his broken arm.

_Don’t listen to that guy, cook._

The best the swordsman could afford was a furious glare at his crewmate when the gunman told him to surrender. Somewhere inside he knew it was futile and the cook wouldn’t risk with anyone’s life, but the sight of him giving up almost immediately was close to unbearable. And it was all Zoro’s fault.

“Good.” Said the gunman, when the cook finally walked to the place he pointed earlier, kneeling on the floor. “Now put your other hand up. I want to see both of them over your hand.”

In spite of how irrational it was, Zoro saw the dartbrow try to raise his injured arm, only to flinch sharply when it moved a couple of inches before hanging limply by his side like it used to. The swordsman noticed how his other hand started trembling slightly.

“I said _put it up._ ” The gunman was now way closer to Zoro, irritation slightly hearable in his voice. “Do it.”

 _He’s not going to do it. He can’t._ The swordsman clenched his fists, sucking air in when a wave of dizziness hit him. In the corner of his eye, he noticed the dartbrow shoot him a worried look. It took him a couple of seconds to regain his balance.

“I’m running out of patience.” A silhouette stepped in front of the swordsman, heading straight for the dartbrow. While keeping the gun pointed at Zoro, he stopped right in front of the cook.

Standing and watching his crewmate like this wasn’t something the Strawhats’ first mate should be doing. He fought the urge to dash towards and slice through the thug, mostly because he wasn’t sure if he would make it to them without collapsing. The next thing he knew, the gunman grabbed the cook’s injured arm, raising it slightly.

A jolt of pain ran through the dartbrow’s face as he hissed slightly, turning his head away from the man. Zoro’s blood ran cold. If the cook decided to make a run for it, he probably would get away from here. He wouldn’t have to go through this, to suffer so much.

It was no other than Zoro who was holding him back from escaping.

The gunman kept slowly pulling up the cook’s arm, watching the Strawhat arch his back and clench his teeth tightly in pain, tears welling up in his eyes.

_Stop it._

The swordsman tried to reach his hand towards the gunman, but the world spun and he felt his legs slowly give up. That was it. He wasn’t going to get out of there on his own. The thug seemed to notice his futile struggles, smirking slightly and pulling the cook’s arm slightly higher, earning a pained grunt from him.

_Stop it!_

“Quiet now.” Said the gunman, nudging the cook with one of his boots. “If you don’t want anything to happen to your friend.”

All of a sudden, he pulled the dartbrow’s arm all the way up, so that it was clearly above his head. The cook screamed sharply, trying to jerk out of the gunman’s grip, tears flowing down his cheeks. Zoro growled, taking a step towards them and almost losing his balance.

The thug grimaced slightly, letting go of the cook’s arm and kicking him hard into the gut. The dartbrow coughed roughly, curling and trying to catch his breath while giving him a look so furious for a moment Zoro felt his skin crawl.

“I can’t tell if it was so brave or dumb of you to come here.” The gunman smirked, something steely flashing in his other hand. “Looks like you thought you could outsmart me.”

Zoro let out a choked sound when the thug stabbed the cook somewhere under his neck – was that a syringe he was holding? The dartbrow’s stare became even colder as he flinched away, pressing a hand to the injected place.

“You son of a…” The cook’s voice was screechy and quiet. The swordsman tried to focus his eyes on him when the world started becoming blurry.

The gunman’s teeth flashed when he chuckled loudly, putting a hand in the cook’s hair and pulling at it roughly, making them lock their eyes and face each other. He whispered something so quietly Zoro couldn’t hear anything, but the way the cook’s face turned a few shades paler made him clench his teeth tightly.

A shot of pain ran through Zoro’s side and he fell to his knees, suddenly out of strength. The thug let go of the cook’s hair, making the dartbrow fall to the floor, somehow shielding his injured arm in the process. The swordsman watched his friend struggle to get up, when his arm gave up completely. Was that how they managed to abduct him?

“Now, now, what a lovely sight.” The gunman grinned, looking at Zoro. “The infamous Pirate Hunter, down on his knees. I know some people who’d pay for that kind of sight.”

The swordsman growled, reaching his hand for one of his swords, when his eyes met the dartbrow’s. His stare was turning blank, absent. _No good, he won’t be able to get out of here on his own._ Zoro cursed, glaring daggers at the gunman.

“Exchange that gun for a sword and we’ll see who’s got the talk.” He spat through grit teeth.

The thug grimaced slightly, walking closer to Zoro and hitting him in the temple with the barrel of his gun. Dark spots danced around the swordsman’s vision when he fell to the floor, pain exploding under his skull. He could taste blood in his mouth.

“You’d better watch your tongue, Pirate Hunter.” The gunman’s voice sounded distance, as though he was speaking through a wall. “I’m not going to kill you for now, because that wouldn’t make my superiors glad, but you’re not the only one who can pay for your foul mouth.”

Something hit him again, but what it was or where it aimed he couldn’t tell, as he felt his mind fall into darkness.


	6. Let's see who'll wash out first

There it was again. The haze embracing his mind, making it hard to collect thoughts. Sanji groaned slightly, trying to turn to the side when sharp pain radiating from his arm shot all the way up his spine. A hiss escaped him.

“Sanji!” He heard the shitty swordsman’s voice call his name. Why was the mosshead around? And _why_ on earth was he calling him by his name? “Hey, are you alright?”

“…m… fine.” The words slurred out from the cook’s mouth as he slowly opened his eyes. His head felt really heavy, as though made of stone.

The swordsman was on the other side of the room – cell – they were in. Sanji noticed the man’s hands were both chained above his head, There was blood in his hair, a dried trail running all the way through his face, and there were bandages all around his torso… right, the gunshot…

Sanji’s blood ran cold.

“You…” He took a deep breath, trying to focus. “Your wound…”

“Ah, that.” A shade of relief ran through the swordsman’s face. “Never mind it. It’s not in their interest to kill me right now. They’ll probably prepare some fancy ass execution scene or something.”

Sanji nodded bluntly, leaving the mosshead’s words behind as he took a closer look at his dressings. They were enough to keep him alive, but far from done well. The cook assumed it was going to turn into a nasty infection at best if they didn’t leave that place soon.

“Anyway,” The swordsman’s voice echoed through his head, a serious note piquing his attention. “I saw that bastard inject you with something back then. It still hasn’t worn off, right?”

“…No.” The cook shook his head slightly, still feeling as though it was pulled down by gravity. The back of his consciousness whispering _something’s odd._

“Shit.” Cursed the mosshead, turning his head to the side. “Playing dirty tricks on us, those bastards.”

Instead of annoyance, his expression spoke of exhaustion. Dark circles formed under his eyes, lips cracked and pursed. Sanji assumed it was due to blood loss, or was it? The idiot should had just taken a nap as always. It would probably be for the better…

_Drip._

A droplet of water splashed somewhere above him. The cook frowned slightly, taken aback by the fact he didn’t really feel anything. The drugs may have handicapped his moves, but they didn’t mess up with his senses. Maybe it was just him overthinking things. With a sigh, he leaned his head back, resting it on the rocks.

_Clang._

The metallic sound echoed inside Sanji’s head, slowly shattering the cozy warmth of indifference embracing his mind. The cook’s eyes widened immediately, his breath fastening. He knew that specific sound. There was no mistaking it.

Slowly, he forced his hand to move, lifting it and clenching his fingers around the cold metal, sending a violent shudder through his whole body. Sanji felt himself fight for air, scratching the iron, urging to get rid of it, to make it disappear.

“Hey, cook!” The swordsman’s voice reached him, echoing and vanishing in the metallic walls choking him.

The cook closed his eyes shut, clenching his teeth when images started playing in his head. He was back in the undergrounds of the castle, staring blankly at the bars. Three colorful silhouettes were slowly walking his way with wooden swords in their hands. _No. No!_

With a blink of an eye, he was outside the cell. Standing with a knife in his hands, aiming it at a person with fists huge enough to crush his ribs, and he was crying.

_“Under no circumstances are you to ever identify as one of my children.”_

_“You are the sole blemish in my life… the one thing I’m ashamed of.”_

“COOK!”

Sanji gasped loudly, reality hitting him like a wave. There were no silhouettes anymore, just the familiar swordsman staring at him with widened eyes, trashing in his restraints.

“Are you alright?” He asked, eyes locking with the cook. “What’s wrong, dartbrow?”

“…Nothing.” Sanji’s voice came out a little shaky. He slowly let go of the mask, trying to calm down his breath. He hadn’t felt such fear in a long time. Crushing his lungs, paralyzing his whole body. A single tear ran down his cheek. “It’s nothing. Not your goddamn business, shitty swordsman.”

The mosshead only huffed in response, slightly pulling at the chains restraining his hands. The cook closed his eyes, breathing deeply.

He wasn’t a kid anymore. Those… people, they were nothing but past now. That place wasn’t a dungeon. The shitty swordsman was there to keep him company. He had to keep himself fucking together if they wanted to get out alive.

* * *

Zoro could swear his heart skipped a beat when he noticed the cook was awake again.

He couldn’t remember how they got in there, only how that thug injected something into his friend’s veins, how the dartbrow fell to the floor, unable to move a finger, with those hollow eyes. The swordsman couldn’t get that disquieting picture out of his head.

He was the one to come to first. When he opened his eyes, the cook was still unconscious. His legs were separately cuffed and chained to the ground – a wise move – giving him only a little space to move them, and there was something like a helmet – or a mask? – covering his head and face the way Zoro could only see his eyes.

The cook looked far from okay. Never mind his arm, the swordsman felt shivers of wild rage whenever he looked at it. He figured the bastard hadn’t eaten properly, given that they actually gave him any food. His usually lanky silhouette was more bony than when he remembered it, and the dartbrow’s skin was a few shades paler.

Zoro didn’t like it.

Then, after what felt like – and most probably was – hours, the bastard finally, _finally_ opened his eyes. He still seemed only half-conscious, but damn it, he was _alive._ If his hands weren’t stuck to the wall, Zoro would probably rush to the dartbrow the second he heard him utter a sound.

He now understood why the sea-witch and the cook were worried about him when he came to. He knew precisely why, because looking at the dartbrow now he had a million questions running through his head.

Was he okay? What the hell did they do to him? Has it damaged his body? Has it worn off? And the one he kept pushing away that whole time – was the cook going to wake up?

But when the bastard was finally conscious, it wasn’t any better. The cook’s eyes were widened, his hand scratching the metal mask helplessly, as though he was in a trance. On top of it all, he was struggling to breathe. Only after a few calls did Zoro’s voice finally reach him.

It was stressful for the swordsman. He didn’t know what to do or say, so after giving it a few thoughts he remained silent. Something was odd about the cook – not only was he seriously wounded, but there had to be a thing about the mask that made him panic so much. That strong, reliable, lovesick bastard who always had Zoro’s back – even the night when he got his drink spiked.

“Can you move, mosshead?” Asked the cook after a moment of silence. The swordsman noticed a familiar spark in his eye. _He was looking for a way out._

“Safe for my hands? Yeah.” Zoro jerked his hands in the restraints, testing their strength. “Doesn’t look like those are going to give up anytime soon though.”

“Alright.” The dartbrow took a deep breath, as though he was taking a drag of a cigarette. “Listen to me now. Don’t eat or drink _anything_ if they try to give it to you. I won’t carry your ass out of here if you don’t control your stomach.”

“Can’t promise anything, dartbrow.” Replied the swordsman. “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to resist all the gourmet feasts they’ll serve me.”

The cook leaned his head back, and Zoro could swear he heard him smirk. He also let himself grin slightly, feeling relieved.

“Seriously though, now that I know you’re not going to bite the dust, why the hell are you here?” The question startled the swordsman a little. “Last time I checked you weren’t supposed to leave Merry.”

“Well, you refused to show up on time, so I guess someone had to fetch you back.” Zoro clicked his tongue, intentionally skipping the part where he forced Usopp to speak and knocked him unconscious before leaving the ship.

The cook looked him in the eye for a moment, but didn’t say anything. Even if he didn’t fully believe in the swordsman’s _selective truth_ , he apparently wasn’t going to comment on it.

“We need to get out of here.” The dartbrow sluggishly looked around. “Preferably before those thugs get bored enough to come down here, although I don’t think I’ll be able to move around until then.”

Zoro nodded slightly, when a thought struck him. _Down here._

“You think we’re underground?” He raised an eyebrow.

“I’m pretty sure I went up before running into you.” The cook leaned his head back. “Besides, there are no windows here. Nor in the halls. It’s just a wild guess though.”

“That would mean slashing through the walls won’t make sense.” The swordsman sighed.

It was worse than he expected. Of course, chances were the others would get worried soon and go look for the cook and him, but they couldn’t sit there and wait patiently for being rescued. And if they managed to drag Luffy into a trap, Usopp and Nami had little chances of defending themselves. _Damn it._

“Don’t think about it too much for now.” The dartbrow’s voice dragged him back to reality. “The truth is that you don’t have your swords and I can’t walk. Our only choice is to wait.”

“Wait for what?” Huffed Zoro. “Until those guys show up and kill you?”

“If they wanted to do that, they’ll finish me the moment they got you in their hands.” The cook tried to sound convincing, but the swordsman knew he had a point. “Not to mention you look like shit. You should probably take nap like you usually do.”

It was loath to admit it, but he was right. Zoro snorted, closing his eyes and trying to think clearly about the situation their current situation. The wound in his side wasn’t hurting too badly – the thugs managed to make it non-lethal, his limbs felt heavy and powerless. On top of that, he managed to lose his swords _again._

Then, there was the cook. He still wasn’t aware that the swordsman knew about what happened _that night_. Zoro still had no idea why the dartbrow wasn’t mad at him for… well, everything. _Everything_ – from breaking his arm to getting him there – was entirely the swordsman’s fault. Yet, the cook didn’t mention it once.

On one hand, it made him feel grateful. Which he loathed. He’d rather hear the bastard shout at him, scold him or even kick him in the face – anything would be better than that silence coming from him.

* * *

The metallic sound of a lock popping open made Sanji realize he foolishly let himself fall asleep when he was supposed to stay alert. He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked around, his eyes resting on the swordsman.

The mosshead was awake, probably also due to the echoing sound, and his eyebrows were slightly raised in a mocking _knew you’d fall asleep_ tone. The cook let is slide, focusing on three silhouettes almost blocking the dim light coming from outside the cell.

“Looks like they’re awake.” One of them spoke.

“Of course they are.” Snorted another. “They’re pirates. Rats like these wouldn’t survive a day at sea without trembling in fear, jolting at the quietest sounds.”

Sanji bit his tongue, watching the men slowly fill the room, his eyes torn from their silhouettes and the shitty swordsman, who apparently remained indifferent to their previous mockery. _For god’s sake, mosshead, don’t do anything thoughtless._

“The infamous Pirate Hunter, huh.” One of the thugs poked the swordsman with the tip of his shoe. The cook noticed how his friend’s eyes went a few shades darker, even though he remained seemingly calm. “It doesn’t stop to surprise me why would someone go through all the trouble of requesting you alive, really. If it were up to me, you’d rot here.”

“Likewise.” Was all it took from the moss-for-brains to make Sanji’s dim hopes crack. The man huffed something, but turned away from the swordsman.

“And here’s our star.” He mocked, stepping closer to the cook. “Not so merry-go-lucky now, are we?” As the thug leaned in, Sanji involuntarily attempted to land a kick on his face. It was about then he realized his legs were now bound – unlike before.

“Someone here hasn’t had enough yet.” Chuckled one of the men standing closer to the swordsman. The cook raised his chin slightly, challenging him with his look. “I think it’s time to teach them when to stay down.”

“Drop it.” Stopped him the man leaning over Sanji, never looking away from the cook. “I’ve got a question for you, pirate. How does it feel? Knowing that you went all that way and didn’t spill a thing not only to find out we’ve caught your friend Roronoa, but also got his precious swords back after your silly attempt to escape?”

The cook’s blood froze.

“Hey, you idiot.” His gaze went _right_ to the silent swordsman. “You didn’t take your swords with you, did you?”

The man didn’t have to answer.

“Oh, _fuck you_ very much.” Sanji leaned back, resting his head on the wall. “I’m going to kill you once we get out of here, I swear.”

“You shouldn’t make promises you won’t keep, I’m afraid.” The thug stepped between them with a sly smirk on his face. “I already told you, you might be of some us for us, too, if we don’t kill you first.”

“Don’t be so full of yourself.” The swordsman’s cocky tone turned the man’s attention all to himself. “Some random human trafficker, speaking so lowly of a pirate? If we’re rats, you’re the garbage we eat.”

To Sanji’s surprise, the men started chuckling.

“You’re right, Pirate Hunter.” One of them said eventually. “Human traffickers are no better than your kind. But too bad for you, we’re not some random lowly scum. We serve under the World Government. You know what that means?” He grinned widely.

“…Marines.” The cook shot the man a deadly glare. It all made sense now. _Headquarters. Bounty. Higher ups._ “You’re from the Navy.”

“Looks like at least one of you has the brains.” The man nodded slightly, holding back a chuckle. “I take it even your small brains can imagine how different we are from your trafficker friends, no? Now, I think you both understand how serious circumstances are.”

“Give me a minute.” Zoro interrupted him, looking around. “If you really are who you claim to be, don’t Marines obey some sort of civil rights for prisoners? I bet there’s something about _not_ stuffing them with unknown substances.”

“Let it go, mosshead.” Sanji shook his head slightly. “This guy probably doesn’t even know how to read, you can tell from his face. See how confused he looks–“ He gasped loudly when the man’s shoe connected with his stomach, knocking the air out of it.

“For your future knowledge.” He droned, giving both of them a look full of primacy. “There _is_ something we Marines call _a codex of civil rights_ we must know by rote and obey. And it does include a paragraph about immunity of prisoners, however…” His eyes slid from the swordsman and locked on the cook as a smile spread on his face. “…You’re not our prisoners, you’re our _guests._ ”

Sanji looked up, unable to hold back laughter. Of course they were. Zeff once told him there was always a way to go around the law. Now he knew what the old man meant.

“You and your Marine hospitality.” He heard the swordsman speak and noticed him shake his head in disbelief. “So, when is my laundry going to be done? I’m sick of just sitting here and waiting.”

“I wouldn’t trust them with the laundry.” Sanji smirked, cocking an eyebrow. “Who knows if they’ve got the brains to differ the colors properly.”

“Right. I’d hate having my shirt in anything but white.”

“It’s already a transparent yellow, from the amount of sweat you produce.”

“What was that?” The swordsman frowned. “At least I do anything to get stronger and actually be of some use to the crew instead of swooning over Nami!”

“Care to repeat that?!” Sanji’s brow twitched as he stared daggers at his crewmate. “Oh, we’ll see who’s so useless once we get back on Merry and find your plate empty!”

“Then I’d finally prepare myself some good fucking food!” Somewhere in the back of his mind, the cook knew the swordsman wasn’t serious – after all, he’d burn _anything_ – but it still pissed him off.

“Oh, I’d very much love to see that!”

_Bang._

Both of them froze at the sound of a gunshot. The cook cursed, the sound hurting his ears and echoing in his head. He looked up to the Marine standing closest to him, holding up a gun pointed at the ceiling.

“Now…” He said, lowering his weapon and putting it back by his side. “I’d appreciate if you two concentrated on me instead of yourselves. The more you cooperate, the less painful things will turn for you.”

“We know that neither of you is the captain of your small pathetic crew.” Said one of the other Marines. “The headquarters requested we also capture them.”

Sanji quickly exchanged looks with Zoro. _If you say anything, I’ll kill you._ The swordsman only smirked, cocking an eyebrow. _Let’s see who’ll wash out first._

“Now, if any of you possesses any kind of information about your captain, crew, ship, which I’m pretty sure _both_ of you do…” The Marine standing closest to Sanji said. “…It’s time to share it with us. In this moment.”

The cook raised an eyebrow, cocking his head and looking at the swordsman.

“So?” He asked.

“So what?” The mosshead frowned slightly.

“You’re the vice-captain. You surely know more than a measly, useless washer.”

“ _Oh_ , is that the case?" Zoro cocked an eyebrow. "Fuck you.”

“I take it neither of you is willing to talk.” The Marine grimaced slightly, nodding at his friend. “That’s alright. I’m sure I’ll be able to _persuade_ you somehow.”

Sanji’s eyes went to the third Marine, who’d been silent the whole time, and it was then when he noticed the man was holding a longitudinal bundle, which was now being slowly unwrapped. Once the linens covering its content fell to the floor, he let out a long whistle.

“Oh, _fuck you, too_.” He heard the swordsman cursed when he also noticed what was going on.

In the Marine’s hands, there were three _way too familiar_ blades. _The shitty swordsman’s swords._

* * *

Zoro leaned his head back, rolling his eyes under closed eyelids. The fuckers had enough bravado to mess with his swords, great. He sincerely hoped they’d try to use Kitetsu in the first place and get cursed.

He didn’t even need a second to recognize his katanas. It was almost as though he was looking at a part of his own body. With the slight difference that nor his arm or leg were about to be used against him or the cook. _Fucking bastards._

“Blades.” Spoke the Marine standing closest to the cook, reaching his hand and wrapping his fingers around Yubashiri’s hilt. The swordsman held back a growl. “Magnificent and scary looking, I admit, but nowhere near as effective as guns.”

He examined the blade carefully after taking it and turning to Zoro.

“I don’t think I’ll ever understand why people admire people like you,” He said, huffing dismissively “Running around with sharp metal sticks and shouting some bullshit about some _swordsman code_.”

“For _your_ future knowledge,” Zoro spat through grit teeth. “You bunch of cocksure-ass, ignorant, slow-witted morons… there _is_ such a thing as _swordsman code._ And there’s a paragraph in it about how superior the swords are to guns in terms of slow, painful killing of bastards like you.”

“…You messed up the last part.” The swordsman heard his crewmate whistle, but his eyes were locked on the Marine’s face – going from shock to anger to a sly smirk. He didn’t like that _one bit._

“Ah, slow and painful killing.” The man echoed, turning Yubashiri around in his head. “Good point. How about we give it a try, huh?” He said, turning to the cook. Zoro’s blood ran cold.

“Don’t you _dare_.” He threatened, growling lowly.

“Congratulations, mosshead.” Mused the cook, trying to sound all cool and composed but the swordsman caught a note of uneasiness in his tone. “Now you made the big baby mad.”

“I’ve already made myself clear, I think.” The Marine’s voice was calm, his moves smooth as he made his way towards the cook and cast a challenging look in Zoro’s direction. “If you have anything to say, things might not turn out too painful for at least one of you.”

The swordsman cursed, pulling at the restraints binding his hands. The other thugs might not be too bright, but that one wasn’t going to get provoked so easily. Not to mention every idiot knew how to cut things in half with a sword, even if their technique or form wasn’t even subpar. The cook was already looking half-dead, if they drew more blood from him…

His gaze turned towards the swirly bastard, also trying to get rid of the ropes and chains – good thing his arms were free, even though only one of them was of any use. Zoro didn’t want to think about it now, just looking at the injured limb made him want to throw up.

But then the cook raised his head, and it was clear he was _thinking._ He always had that kind of expression when they were in trouble and he was trying to come up with a way out. Which in fact made Zoro feel a little relieved. There was little he could do, safe from pulling at whatever was holding him back at the moment and hoping Usopp and the others stayed on the goddamn ship.

The Marine muttered something incomprehensible for the swordsman and raised Yubashiri, pressing its tip against the cook’s collarbone and froze.

“I’m all ears.” He said slowly. “Speak. _Now._ ”

Zoro grit his teeth, hectically trying to think. The guy was serious. He didn’t need the cook alive, so the dartbrow was as good as dead. Selling Luffy down the river was out of the question. _Think, goddamn it!_ They had to think about something before it’s too late–

“Shame.” The Marine’s voice reached him and the swordsman watched him slowly dig the tip of the sword a little above where the cook’s heart should be. The dartbrow let out a choked sound, arching his back and clenching his teeth.

“Stop it, you fucker!” Shouted Zoro, involuntarily trying to reach to his side for one of his swords. _Fuck, fuck, fuck!_

“You know how to stop me, Roronoa.” The Marine said with a calm expression, locking eyes with the swordsman. “I already told you it’s up to you how much you’ll have to suffer.”

“Leave him alone.” Zoro growled lowly, narrowing his eyes. “I’m the one you’re after, aren’t you? This guy knows nothing, he’s just a washer. If you want information, you’ll have to take it from me.”

“I’m glad you shared this with me.” The thug smiled slightly. “But I know well what I’m doing–“

“Alright, alright!” The cook interrupted them, raising his hand up. “Fuck it, I’ll tell you everything! About our ship, our captain, even the shitty swordsman sitting there behind your back! Anything you want to know!”

After the words left his mouth, silence fell across the room, drowning everything in it. Zoro’s eyes widened rapidly as he started into his crewmate in disbelief. The cook avoided his look, concentrating on the man leaning above him.

“I’ll tell you anything, please, but take that fucking sword away from me.” The cook looked down, resignation ringing in his voice.

“Well, well.” The Marine smiled widely, holding back a chuckle. “Who would’ve thought a pirate would stand physical attacks so well only to break under a blade? Too bad we haven’t tried that earlier.” His gaze trailed to Zoro. “Or maybe its perhaps someone’s here with us today?”

The swordsman felt air leave his lungs in an instant at the man’s words. Then, he locked his eyes on the cook, trashing in his binds.

“You bastard!” He shouted. “I’m talking to you, cook! Don’t tell me–“

“Shut up.” The dartbrow said, still not looking Zoro in the eye. “Just shut up, shitty swordsman. They won, okay?” He was talking through a clenched throat. “I’m not going to play the tough guy anymore. I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”

The swordsman opened his mouth to say something, but then the cook shot him a brief look. It took only splits of a second, so little Zoro couldn’t swear it wasn’t just his imagination playing his tricks on him, but he understood. In one moment, everything made sense.

“Okay, okay.” The cook’s voice _sounded_ frantic as he spoke. “So, this guy. Roronoa Zoro. Nineteen years old, middle height, uses three swords for fighting – Wado Ichimoji, Sandai Kitetsu – it’s a cursed sword, don’t touch it with your bare hands – and right now you’re holding Yubashiri…” He paused for a moment to take a breath. “Constantly drunk or asleep, no bounty on his head, but there’s one weakness he’s got.”

“Hey, idiot, don’t you dare tell them about it!” Zoro shouted, throwing himself forward. “If you say a word I swear I’m gonna kill you! I’ll butcher you up like a fucking–“

“Quiet, Pirate Hunter!” Shouted the Marine, silencing the swordsman and squatting in front of the cook, a playful smile on his lips. “You’ve done a good job, I’m not gonna lie. Now, tell me about that weakness your friend possesses.”

The cook remained silent for a moment, nervously looking around and slowly leaning towards the man, nodding at him slightly to do the same.

“Just like that…” The Marine hummed. “Our client would be thrilled to know as much of Roronoa’s weak points. Just as I told you, the less you struggle–“

The poor man didn’t get to finish the sentence, because before he knew it, the cook reached his healthy hand to grab him at the back of his head and swung his head with full force, hitting the thug in the face with his iron mask.

There was a sound of something cracking loudly, then a loud curse, and the Marine fell to the floor, covering his nose with both hands.

It was a matter of seconds. Zoro didn’t even register when exactly did the cook use the moment of his opponent’s confusion to trap his head between his legs with so little possibilities of movement, but here he was – already with the thug’s gun in his healthy hand.

“What the–“ One of the Marines spoke, but the cook put him down with an icy stare.

“Don’t move!” He raised his voice, pressing the gun barrel to the thug’s temple. “Hands up, now! Or your leader will earn a bullet right in the head!”

“…Listen to him, you fools.” Droned the man, gritting his teeth when one of his men hesitated. The dartbrow licked his lips, looking at both of the thugs and smirking slightly when they both raised their hands above their heads.

“Now…” He said between heavy breaths, quickly exchanging looks with Zoro and pointing his head at the closest Marine. “You. Untie the mosshead.”


	7. The great escape of Zoro and Sanji

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoro and Sanji on the run. Although, each in their own, unique way.

For a moment, everyone froze, not daring to make a move as the cook’s finger kept moving around the trigger. Zoro watched the Marine leader grimace, probably still a little in shock after the hit he received earlier.

“Move!” The cook shouted, locking eyes with the Marine standing closest to Zoro. “Untie the shitty swordsman, now!”

“Do what he says, for fuck’s sake!” Howled the thug, squeezing his eyes shut. The swordsman presumed the man was close to breaking into tears. And there he was, talking big about how superior the Navy was to pirates.

Zoro didn’t move an inch when the Marine moved closer to him, and after a short while he finally felt his hands drop by his sides, blood circulation working properly again for the first time in hours. He smirked, rubbing his wrists, trying to get rid of the nasty itching feeling.

“That’s way better.” He murmured, nodding slightly.

“Okay, okay…” The cook took a deep breath, looking around. “Now, give him his swords!”

The swordsman couldn’t help but grin when his katanas were handed to him, a familiar pleasant feeling of safety flooding him when he clenched his fingers around Wado. Silently, he made his way across the room to the cook and stopped, taking a moment to look at the trapped Marine his friend was taking hostage.

“Now, isn’t that a pitiful sight.” He mocked, snatching Yubashiri from the man’s hand and pointing its tip at the dartbrow. “Okay, cook. Let’s do this.”

He only needed one hand to free the cook’s legs from their restraints. Within a second, his crewmate was standing, long and dark as a shadow, with the Marine’s neck trapped under his foot and the gun aimed at the others.

“ _Freeze._ ” He said quietly when one of the other thugs tried to reach for his gun. There was a note so icy in the cook’s voice it legitimately made Zoro fight the urge to step back.

“The mask has to go, too.” Grunted the swordsman, taking a closer look at the iron covering his friend’s head. “Do you trust me, cook?”

There was a stressful moment of silence, when the dartbrow locked their eyes, before turning his head away and sighing deeply.

“Stop asking ridiculous questions.” He eventually said. “And hurry up, the Navy’s guns are pretty heavy. I don’t have the whole day to waste standing here with those thugs.”

The swordsman smirked mischievously. Some part of him felt a little more at ease after hearing the cook’s words. Some other felt even more guilty than it did before. He pushed aside both of them, though, and concentrated on the iron helmet, trying to find its weak spots and perhaps some seams.

“Alright.” He said after a short while. “Here I go, cook. Try not to move if you value your nose and ears.”

It took a while. A while which for Zoro’s taste seemed too long. But once iron pieces clanged, making contact with the floor, he knew it was over. The cook also seemed to have relaxed. Even though, there was still a long way to go if they wanted to get out in one piece.

“Keys, mosshead.” Said the cook, his voice now way clearer without the metal barrier. “Get the keys to the cell.”

As much as he hated taking orders form the dartbrow, there was no time to argue. With a subtle nod of his head, he pointed his sword at the Marine. The man grit his teeth, sweat running down his forehead as he desperately searched through the pockets of his uniform, cursing under his nose.

“Hurry up.” The swordsman said quietly, the threat in his voice loud and clear. “It makes no difference for me if I take the keys from you or your cold corpse, you know.”

A terrified, choked sound made it out of the man’s throat as he flinched, quickly reaching out a hand with the keys inside it. Zoro exchanged quick looks with the cook, pressing his blade to the thug’s wrist. Kitetsu hummed for blood, hanging at his side and urging to replace Ichimoji he was holding.

“You should really consider if you want to stain your swords with his blood.” Sanji said quietly, passing them by and taking the keys. Zoro’s eyes narrowed as he heard the hinges creak when the door opened behind his back. “I’m heading out of here, mosshead. You can do as you please.”

The swordsman’s eyes flashed. He smirked slightly, letting Wado’s blade fall down. The sharp scream that tore the air didn’t as much as make him flinch. In the corner of his eye, he noticed how the cook’s face remained unreadable.

He knew the dartbrow wasn’t a big fan of violence, despite his usually fierce behavior. But Zoro simply _couldn’t_ imagine letting those guys go just like that. Not only did they go low enough to use drugs, stole his swords and kept him prisoner - they had enough courage to hurt the cook and use his weaknesses against him.

That, he could never forgive.

* * *

“Maybe you shouldn’t have made such a ruckus.” Sanji said eventually, sighing subtly and looking around. “There’s no way no one heard that scream, you know.”

“Well, I guess they assumed it was you.” The swordsman snorted, following the cook into what was a true maze of corridors for him. “I don’t know another person who’d shout so loud.”

“Much appreciated.”

The retort was short and quiet. They both had to be cautious, sneaking around towards the exit and knowing when to halt. Even though, Zoro couldn’t help but feel relief every time he heard the shitty cook speak up. _Definitely not_ because he’d been worried about the bastard. Perhaps… well, maybe it would be a little problematic if they cut his vocal cords out.

It _wasn’t_ like the swordsman was actually consolated because he’d made sure the guy was alright. Or, at least, alive.

There was something odd about Sanji, though, and he didn’t like it. Of course, the dartbrow had all the rights to be sober or even mad at him, but it wasn’t the case. Zoro always thought he was pretty good at reading from his face, but right now, he couldn’t tell a thing.

Almost as though the bastard was trying not to tell him what he was thinking _purposefully_.

The feeling of uneasiness only rose inside him as they left the building, which was odd. The swordsman was pretty sure he’d feel relieved after getting out of that place, but as the cook took a sharp turn almost immediately, Zoro couldn’t stop himself from frowning deeply.

After taking a few quick turns into narrow streets, the cook suddenly stopped, looking up with a quiet sigh. The swordsman cocked an eyebrow.

“What’s wrong, cook?” He asked, a serious note clear in his voice. “Are you alright?”

“Of course I am.” The cook pursed his lips, running a hand through his hair. “There’s just one thing that’s been bugging me the whole time.”

“Which is?”

Sanji snorted. The swordsman didn’t like it.

“You were too busy running around,” The dartbrow sighed subtly. “ but I heard one of them say something about calling for help.”

Zoro’s frown deepened.

“It doesn’t matter.” He shrugged. “They won’t get to the island in time if we sail away soon.”

“It _does_ matter, moss-for-brains.” The cook shook his head. “They’ll chase us at sea. Think of it. There’s only five of us. I don’t think either of us will be able to hold them off, and if they get Luffy, we’re done.” His eyes went to the swordsman’s. “It’s no joke, mosshead. Some big fish is out for your head. I was thinking about finding their communication source and cutting it off–“

“No.” The words got out of Zoro’s mouth before he had the time to think.

“It’s not a question.” A shade of a smile ran through the cook’s face. “They’re going to corner us as soon as we set sail if we leave it like that.”

“You’re not staying here.” The swordsman shook his head. “You wouldn’t even be a match for Usopp right now. They’ll kill you.”

“They’ll kill _all_ of us otherwise.” It was honestly a little surprising how the cook didn’t raise his voice once for the whole time. _As though he was prepared for it._

“I didn’t come all the way here just to leave you here.” Zoro growled, baring his teeth. _I don’t want anything more to happen to you because of me._

“And I didn’t go all the way to fetch your swords just to find you here.”

“I’ll go with you then.”

“No.” The dartbrow shook his head firmly. “You’re already half-dead. There’s no guarantee that you’ll even make it to Merry. I won’t be able to get out of there if you decide to dramatically lose consciousness in the middle of the escape.”

“Don’t fuck with me.” Zoro frowned. “I know you’re not really thinking of getting out of there alive.“

“Listen to me this one time, for fuck’s sake.” The cook leaned in, putting a hand on the swordsman’s shoulder, his voice turning into a whisper. “You’ll go to the others and tell them what’s going on. I’ll go there and cut off their Transponder Snails. Got it?”

“You’re not going anywhere.” The swordsman bared his teeth. “We’re going back to the Merry and getting the hell out of there. I just went through hell and back to find you, ungrateful bastard.”

“Much appreciated.” The cook rolled his eyes before locking them back with Zoro’s. “Listen, shitty swordsman. If… something goes wrong…”

“Don’t.” Zoro’s eyes widened slightly. He clenched his hand around the cook’s arm.

“If… I don't manage to get out of there according to the plan…”

“Don’t say it, cook.” The swordsman growled from the back of his throat, hardening his grip.

“…Promise me you'll sail away by yourselves.”

“I’m not fucking leaving you here to die, you shitty–“ Zoro started, but sll air he had left in his lungs left him immediately as he felt the cook’s knee dig deep into his abdomen. The swordsman widened his eyes, curling and coughing violently.

“You… you bastard.” He spat out. The cook smirked weakly.

“The next time I hit you, you’ll be out cold.” A note of warning rang in the cook’s voice as he turned around. “I’m going in there, mosshead. _Don’t_ follow me.”

Zoro helplessly watched his friend walk back into the place they just managed to get out from, cursing himself for not being able to follow him as he kept coughing and struggling for air. Damn cook, damn his thoughtlessness, damn it all!

He had to get help before the idiot did anything reckless. Although chances were it was already too late.

* * *

Sanji held back a hiss, striving forward and looking around in a frantic manner. The Transponder Snails should be somewhere close, the whole place wasn’t large. Plus, everything seemed to be in chaos, so chances were he could sneak inside without being spotted until making sure the Going Merry won’t be pursued.

He’d rather have gone with the idiot swordsman, the thought alone of going back to that lion’s den made his skin crawl. He was exhausted, his body ached _everywhere_ and it felt like constantly balancing on the beam of consciousness. _But_ he had to do it, because he’d already had a vague idea where-what-was and the mosshead was far too injured to indulge in a fight.

So far, no one had seen him, but he had to keep count of turns and passed doors if he wanted to get out of there alive. It was key not to lose his only way of escape, so he swallowed down the bitter taste of fear which slowly crept up his spine as he heard voices closing in to him.

Right, he hadn’t really felt _scared_ in a long time. But that time, it wasn’t his life that was on the line. The mosshead, Luffy, Nami, Usopp… they were all going to get into trouble if the Marines decided to go after them into the sea. He couldn’t fail them. He’d never let them down again.

Something on his right clicked, catching his attention. The door slowly creaked open, and the cook’s eyes focused on the dim light coming from inside. _Ha, there it was_. A human-sized Transponder Snail, with wires going all around to various machines and computers which purpose he could only guess.

Making sure no one was around, he slid into the small space, walking around the snail and eyeing it up. He’d very gladly set it free, but getting rid of all the machinery would take him way too long. Not to mention he had no idea how to do it without hurting the animal. Instead, his eyes turned to the set of screens in front of the snail.

A vague smirk ran through his face.

His kicks were weaker than they should, he figured the moment his foot landed on the first computer, crushing it and shattering the screen into tiny pieces, but it didn’t matter. He still had enough power to cut the communication off. But he had to hurry. Someone must had heard him, and it was only a matter of time before they were going to discover what he was doing.

Well, until that time, he only had to get rid of each and every one of those machines.

Something inside him snapped, making him hiss loudly and stop, taking deep breaths. His leg, he must had strained something already injured inside him. _Shit,_ he cursed, eyeing up the remaining computers and holding his breath. He had to endure the pain. The crew’s lived depended on whether he gave up then and there.

It had to happen sooner or later, but the moment he heard the door to the room fly open, his heart stopped for a moment. It was too early, _way too early_. He quickly his behind the Transponder Snail, trying to calm down his breath. He had no strength in him to fight anymore. Not against a group of armed Marines at the peak of their strength. His legs were trembling under him from extortion, barely supporting his body.

They had cornered him.

“I know you’re in here, rat.” A voice echoed through the room. Sanji hid his healthy hand in the pocket of his pants, letting out a shaky breath. “You’ve had your fun, but that’s where it ends.”

From what he could hear, no more than two, three people entered the room, their slow footsteps echoing from the walls. There wasn’t much space in the room, they were going to find in a matter of seconds. If he only managed to take one of them by surprise…

“Come out.” The voice was now way closer to him, just at the other side of the Transponder Snail. “Surrender now and die a painless death. Keep testing me, and things will turn really ugly.”

Sanji closed his eyes, the sound of his fastened heartbeat echoing in his ears. Adrenaline rushed through his veins, suddenly clouding the pain and exhaustion. His thoughts became clearer, letting him think logically for the first time in a long time. There were no shitty drugs flowing inside him anymore. He could move and think without any handicap.

He had to at least _try_ fighting those Marines. Giving up in such a moment would go against everything he stood for. What good would his trip there do if he kept his friends waiting on Going Merry?

Just as he noticed the first of them walk into his sight, his body moved on its own. There was a quiet _crack_ as the heel of his shoe collided with the man’s jaw, sending him a few steps back and falling onto the floor with a sharp scream. Sanji breathed loudly, turning his head to the other Marines with a dangerous spark in his eye.

The other thug was already approaching him, a sword in his hand. The cook eyed him up, taking a few steps back to get an insight on the his opponent’s movements. It was a nice trick he learned when sparring the shitty swordsman, although he’d never admit it out loud that the mosshead actually managed to teach him something.

It quickly occurred to him that the Marine clearly wasn’t really experienced in combat. The way he was holding his weapon, his posture – they were good, but not deprived of flaws here and there. He also seemed quite young, perhaps the cook’s age.

He quickly kicked the weapon out of the guy’s hand, watching his eyes widen up in shock, and only hesitated from aiming another attack at his ribs in the last moment. There was no time or strength to waste on someone who didn’t even know how to fight.

A strong blow to his back squished all the air out of his lungs. The cook gasped loudly, his legs buckling under him. The floor rushed to meet him, cold steel burning against the skin of his palms and cheek. For a brief moment, the world blurred.

“Now, you’ve got to be kidding me.” The voice from before now sounded form somewhere above him, and Sanji felt pressure being put on his back as the Marine pressed him to the floor with his foot. “I didn’t sign up for this shit. They told me we were going after an injured, half-dead pirate. I’d at least take a gun with me.”

The cook hissed, trying to struggle against the hold, but his body wouldn’t listen. The man above him let out a long hum before slowly taking his foot from Sanji’s back and grabbing a fistful of his hair.

“Let’s take a look on your face.” He muttered, yanking the cook up by his golden locks, earning a pained yelp from the pirate.

Sanji stared deeply into the man’s dark eyes, giving him the most homicidal, coldest look he could afford. He quickly found himself on his knees, curling around his broken arm to avoid any more damage being done to it. The marine hummed again, narrowing his eyes subtly.

“I see…” He said slowly, his free hand going from his side to the belt of his pants. “Well, no wonder they didn’t want to kill you right away. It’s not everyday that you find a pirate who doesn’t reek of blood, sex and cheap rum.

The sudden feeling of danger rose inside the cook. He quickly jerked in the Marine’s grip, his heart racing as a wave of nausea rolled through him. The man above him only chuckled lowly, showing the cook two rows of flashing teeth.

“Scared, aren’t we?” He asked, with no enthusiasm in his voice whatsoever. “Serves your kind right. Have you ever thought of how the women you forced to do it felt? Or how terrified the people you murdered were in the last seconds of their lives? Of the orphans you left alone while their houses burned down too ashes?”

Sanji shook his head slowly, hissing when the grip on his hair tightened, sending painful signals all over his scalp. _It’s not him. Luffy isn’t like that._

“I’m not doing anything that you wouldn’t deserve.” The Marine’s eyes slid over the cook’s torso. “Just giving you a taste of your own medicine, pirate. It’s only a responsibility of a man to face the consequences of his actions, isn’t it?”

What happened next was all a blur. The cook knew his body moved before he had the chance to think of it. He aimed a kick at the Marine’s shin, cracking it. A loud scream mixed with the sound of a body colliding with the floor. Sanji’s breath caught in his throat.

He couldn’t believe in what _could’ve_ happened if he hadn’t reacted.

“He’s here!” The Marine shouted, making the cook flinch with the power in his voice. “The pirate! He’s in the communication!”

The cook cursed loudly, quickly running out of the room and desperately turning in the direction he believed led to the exit. The sound of footsteps echoed, coming from everywhere. Sanji felt fear creep up his mind as he noticed a silhouette in white in the corner of his eye, and sped up.

Shouts of the Marine still reached him as he half-limped through the halls, drilling deeply into his mind. _Find that pirate. Shoot him like a dog. Don’t let him escape._

Aromas of blood, rain and fresh air mixed in his nose as he stormed out of the building, heading forward, not caring about how his feet slipped on the wet pavement. The only thing that mattered was getting to the Merry, at all costs. He only hoped the swordsman was already there instead of getting lost somewhere midway between the goddamn building and the ship.

The adrenaline was slowly starting to wear off, and the cook almost tripped when his leg bent under him. It wasn’t good, he still hadn’t even reached the harbor. And there were voices behind him. Closing in, cornering him from all sides.

There was no strength left in him. As soon as he took another turn, his body gave up, only letting him to slide down the wall and lean his back in helplessness. Droplets of rain fell on his face, their cool burning against his skin.

They were going to find him. They were going to find and shoot him before he’d reach Merry. He was going to die somewhere there, in a dark, unnamed alley. Bleeding out from a bullet of some private Marine who won’t even hold the gun properly. Never seeing his friends again. Never living to see Luffy become the king of pirates. Never finding the All Blue.

So that was how far he could go, _huh_. Not too impressive, but still a little further than he’d expect himself too. Even someone like him, a failure like him, could be of some use to his friends in the end. So what if he’d never see their faces again – they’ll sail away like he told the mosshead to. They’ll _survive._

If they only managed to get away from that goddamn island, he could rest in peace. Even though, such a shitty death practically called for a cigarette. His hand reached to the pocket of his pants, only to find it was empty. The cook sighed deeply, closing his eyes and letting the rain pour on him.

The sound of footsteps and voices were getting closer to him, but it didn’t matter anymore. _Nothing_ mattered anymore. If he died there and then, or ten minutes later – was it really different? Sanji felt his body relax for the first time in _way_ too long, peace and bliss embracing him.

And so, surrounded by darkness and the sound of water hitting the pavement, he drifted into the darkness.


	8. Zoro isn't worried

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not like Zoro's _concerned_ about the shitty cook.
> 
> ( _Not a fat chance_ )

Zoro _wasn’t_ worried about the cook.

It definitely wasn’t it. Luffy had stormed out of Merry as soon as he noticed the swordsman, only exchanging brief looks with Nami and Usopp. The swordsman grunted in pain, leaning on the railing and sliding down, the wound in his side pulsating with pain. He grit his teeth, drawing in a sharp breath.

“Zoro!” Nami’s voice reached out to him as the navigator leaned over him with concern painted all over her face. “Oh my god, Usopp. He’s bleeding! Quickly, help me get him inside the storage room.”

The swordsman looked up, slowly getting back up on his feet. It was starting to rain, droplets of cold water splashing against his skin and soaking into his clothes. Nami and Usopp somehow managed to help him get inside the roomgall, the sharpshooter quickly disappearing behind the door in search for dressings.

“Are you alright?” Nami asked him, with a subtle frown. Her eyes slid down to Zoro’s side. “It looks nasty… what happened?”

“…Got shot.” The swordsman replied shortly, fighting the urge to close his eyes. Now that he was back on the ship, the adrenaline was slowly wearing off. The pain and exhaustion he earlier failed to notice were now coming back with doubled strength. “But I’ll be fine. Survived worse.”

“Without doubt.” The navigator snorted, gently lifting his shirt up, taking a better look at the wound. “The bullet is still inside. We’ll have to take it out, and it’s going to hurt.”

“It’s fine.” Zoro said firmly, tilting his head back and resting it on the wooden surface of the wall. “This pain… it’s nothing compared to his.”

Nami didn’t say anything, but the swordsman noticed how her expression changed, and something about it made him instantly regret his words. He could still remember the navigator’s subtly widened eyes whenever he walked past her, or the way Usopp tensed up whenever they as much as exchanged looks.

Although Zoro loathed to admit it, the cook was the one to keep all of them together. Moving around the deck soundlessly, with blue eyes watching the swordsman form behind the curtain of golden hair, he carried a promise. One, that even if the swordsman tried anything again, he wouldn’t let him do anything he’d regret later.

 _Two,_ that no matter the circumstances, none of the Strawhats was going to get hurt.

And because of the swordsman’s thoughtlessness, the bastard was now all alone, trying to sneak back into the hell they had just managed to escape _only_ to fix up all the shit Zoro fucked up. It felt wrong and even thinking about it made his fists clench.

“So you’ve seen him?” Nami nagged, smiling weakly. “That’s good to hear.”

“Is it now?” Zoro asked, knowing he shouldn’t be so rude towards the navigator. She did nothing wrong, but he couldn’t help frustration from welling up inside him. “He’s not _alright_ , Nami, and it’s all my fault. I’d rather not have met him there.”

A part of him wished he had the ability to tell everyone the pretty truth with a polite smile the cook possessed. Even at worst times, the dartbrow was all there to swoon around Nami and make her feel better. But the swordsman wasn’t like that. That compassion and chivalry was something he lacked.

“You shouldn’t put the blame on yourself.” Nami said slowly, her fingers trailing around Zoro’s wound. He knew there were bruises on his torso and limbs, leftovers from the Marine’s hospitality, but he refused to give away any signs of pain. “Sanji and you, you’re exactly the same.”

“…Don’t compare him to me, witch.” He sighed heavily, closing his eyes. “The cook did everything he could to keep you safe, and then got into all the trouble just to fix what I’ve messed up. There’s nothing even about us.”

“Well…” The navigator hesitated for a moment. “I don’t think I should be the one to tell you such things, but I think he thinks the same way about himself.”

Zoro slowly opened an eye.

“That’s because he’s an idiot.” The swordsman stated. “I know about what happened that night, Nami. Usopp told me everything. Don’t put the me on the same line as the shitty cook.”

Nami hesitated, and Zoro knew she probably was surprised to hear he’d found out about everything. After all, the cook didn’t want him to know all the details, like how he _almost_ engaged in a fight with Luffy, how he tried to hit Nami, how the dartbrow held back, not wanting to inflict any more damage on the swordsman, how he pressed the idiot against the wall…

“Zoro.” The navigator called him, her voice unusually soft. “No one blames you for what happened. You weren’t there, and I saw it… when I looked in your eyes.” She paused for a moment. “I don’t think Sanji did the right thing by isolating from the rest of us and going to look for your swords all alone. You shouldn’t heroize him so much. We all make decisions we later regret.”

“He shouldn’t have held back.” Zoro lowered his chin, giving her a tired look. “If I could get my arm broken instead of his…”

His head turned away when Nami’s hand connected with it, slapping him. His eyebrows raised subtly.

“It’s not like you to get all so melancholic, Pirate Hunter.” She said. “We both know you’d end up with more than a broken arm if Sanji _didn’t_ hold back and you encountered him without your swords. You can’t change the past, so get yourself together. I’m sure _he_ never regretted his decision, and that’s what should concern you.”

The swordsman looked back at her, an unnamed feeling rising inside his gut.

“You’re the first mate, Zoro.” The navigator gave him a meaningful look. “It’s your job to hold us all together. You’ve survived being sliced in half. Don’t tell me something like that is going to break you. If you go down, then we’re all sure to sink with you.”

A shade of a smirk ran through his face at those words. With a subtle raise of his chin, he looked at Nami with newly gained confidence.

“You’re right.” He said, taking a deep breath. “I guess I’ll just have to train more to protect all of you.”

“Now, great to see you back in your strange way of taking compliments.” Nami grinned, turning her head when the door to the storage room swung open, with Usopp’s silhouette in the doorframe. “Oh, Usopp, did you find the bandages?”

In the corner of his eye, Zoro noticed something was wrong with the sharpshooter. His chest was raising and falling faster than usual, and his fingers were clenched around the wood so tightly his knuckles turned white. It took him a few deep breaths to finally make a sound.

“Luffy…” He stuttered out eventually, his throat clenched. “He’s back… but there’s something wrong with Sanji.”

* * *

Zoro _wasn’t_ worried about the cook.

It definitely wasn’t it. As soon as Luffy stormed into the storage room, the swordsman’s eyes went straight to the dartbrow, hanging limply on the captain’s back, with eyes closed and blood tricking down his temple. Usopp quickly closed the door, placing the improvised first-aid kit they came up with a couple of weeks earlier in front of Nami and helping Luffy lay the cook down on the floor, careful not to put pressure on his broken arm.

“He’s soaked.” The sniper said quickly, putting a hand to the curlybrow’s forehead. “And feverish. We have to get him out of those wet clothes. Luffy, go get something dry for him. And we’ll need bandages,” his eyes turned to Zoro. “For both of you.”

The swordsman found himself unable to tear his eyes off the cook, who kept breathing shallowly and wincing subtly when the sharpshooter started removing his jacket along with the waistcoat. Although he couldn’t take a good look at the extent of the bastard’s damage through the pitch black fabric, as soon as Usopp managed to take it off, he noticed numerous stains on the sky blue shirt.

 _Too many_.

“Eyes here, Zoro.” Nami’s voice brought him back to her. He noticed how her nose had turned red and she started blinking rapidly. “You also need help, so try to focus for a moment, alright?”

He nodded blankly, gritting his teeth when the navigator poured a fair amount of liquor on his bullet wound, the alcohol stinging and burning him. She then proceeded to take out the bullet stuck in his side, earning a pained hiss from the swordsman.

“I’m almost done.” She muttered reassuringly, showing him the bullet as soon as it slid out of the wound. “See, it’s all over now. All that’s left is to stop the bleeding now.”

“…Thanks.” Zoro said, exhaling deeply when the navigator wrapped his torso up in bandages, making sure they’re all binding him tightly before pulling away with a quiet sigh and a half-hearted smile.

“Good as new.” She joked, ruffling his hair. “Is there anywhere else you’re injured?”

“Only some scratches and bruises.” He muttered, shaking his head. “There are other things to take care of now. We need to sail away from here as soon as possible, and make sure the shitty cook stays on his perch.”

“Aye.” The navigator stood up. Zoro followed her outside.

The sails were already ready, as well as the rest of the ship. The swordsman quickly pulled up the anchor, feeling the breeze slowly rock Merry forward, lazily drifting away from the harbor. He narrowed his eyes subtly, searching for Marines eager to aim at them and shoot through the railing, but there was no one, no voices, no footsteps coming from the land.

He briefly wondered how many of them were knocked unconscious by Luffy in his sudden episode of rage.

“Alright, witch!” He half-shouted, trying to reach Nami with his voice. The redhead gave him a thumbs up, a sign that she heard him. “We’re off! I’ll leave the steering to you!”

After casting one last brief look at the island, the swordsman clenched his fists, heading back to the storage room and leaving the galley and steering to Nami. Inside, he saw Luffy and Usopp working on removing the cook’s shirt. The sharpshooter was a few shades paler than Zoro remembered him.

“I can’t…” He muttered, looking at the captain helplessly. “I can’t take it off without hurting him.”

The swordsman looked at the dartbrow’s face, flushed and wincing time after time. He knew why, he knew damn well, but still felt his stomach sink when his eyes went lower, to the cook’s injured arm.

It was clear as day it was way worse than when the cook left the ship. The improvised cast Nami managed to come up with was gone, and the shoulder was completely torn out of its socket. Moreover, the broken bone was bent under an unnatural angle, making it look horrible, and Zoro didn’t even want to imagine the pain it brought with every movement.

If the cook wasn’t half-conscious, he realized, they’d probably have to hold him down and gag him with something to prevent him from breaking his teeth or biting his tongue off.

As Usopp and Luffy finally managed to get the cook’s upper half exposed, the swordsman drew in air, his eyes sliding over the dark bruises all over the man’s torso, especially under his ribcage. There were a few places where the skin was broken, and some wounds Zoro couldn’t connect with anything other than blades.

His blood ran cold as images of what could had happened to his crewmate flashed in his mind.

“Oh my god…” Usopp whispered through a clenched throat, his hand hanging above the dartbrow’s twisted limb. “This has to be a joke.”

“We need to get him cleaned up.” Zoro said, looking up. “Usopp, go get water and some cloths. Luffy and I will try to do something about the shitty cook’s arm.”

 _Easier said than done._ He slowly made his way to the captain and kneeled at the blonde’s side, licking his lips. Koshiro told him how to set up broken bones or a stamped shoulder, but he’d never actually done anything like that on a living person. And his friend, on top of that.

“Zoro…” Luffy’s voice was dangerously low. “I couldn’t do anything to help either of you. And even now, I can’t help Sanji. What good am I as a captain if I can’t even protect my friends?”

“Don’t say such things.” The swordsman said. “We all chose to follow you from our free will. The shitty cook was ready to give his arm for you anytime.” He looked at the dartbrow’s face. “You said it yourself, he’s a smart guy.”

A moment of silence passed. Luffy took the first-aid kit, opening it and pulling out bandages. His face remained unreadable.

“I won’t become the king of pirates without Sanji.” He said slowy, his hands trembling. “Without any of you.”

“I know, captain.” Zoro held back a sigh, reaching for the bottle of liquor and pouring its contents over the cook’s bleeding wounds, taking a long gulp for courage once he made sure all of the dartbrow’s cuts were disinfected. Meanwhile, Usopp was back with the cloths and water.

“Alright, so are you going to set his arm back into place or not?” He asked impatiently. “I think I got the I’ll-die-if-I’m-to-behold-someone-having-their-dislocated-limb-being-placed-back disease. And before you ask, it _is_ deadly.”

“I’ll do it.” The swordsman turned his head to the door. “But I’ll need help. You two go and take the helm.”

* * *

Zoro _wasn’t_ worried about the cook.

It definitely wasn’t it. Although, perhaps it was the way Nami looked at their unconscious crewmate that made something inside him clench _just a little_. The redhead leaned over the dartbrow, her hands trailing over the broken limb.

“We’ll need to put his shoulder back into place.” She said, biting her lip and looking at the blackish bruise covering the better part of the cook’s joint. “You’ll have to take care of that, I don’t think I have enough strength.”

The swordsman nodded slowly, trying to grab the cook’s arm and hold him down without causing any unnecessary pain. The dartbrow grimaced, letting out a shaky breath. It was no good. They had to make sure the idiot wouldn’t hurt _himself_ in the process.

“Find something to put in between his teeth.” He said quickly, casting a brief look around the room. “And secure his head while I’m doing it. He might seem out cold, but he’s still here with us.”

“I know.” The navigator nodded, quickly rolling a piece of cloth and putting it inside the dartbrow’s mouth, at the same time placing his head on her thighs. “I think that should do it.”

“Yeah.” Zoro nodded vaguely, his eyes going back to the dislocated joint. He slowly proceeded to move the cook’s arm above his head, watching the bulge under the bruise move slowly. The cook hissed loudly, arching his back in pain.

The swordsman worked quickly, finding the head of the bone and forcing it back into place with a loud _crunch_ echoing through the room. The cook bit deeply into the improvised gag, letting out a choked cry.

“It’s in place now.” Zoro said, carefully moving the joint around, checking if it popped into place correctly. “Now, the worse part.”

Nami nodded subtly, stroking the dartbrow’s forehead with the back of her hand, concern painted all over her face. The swordsman couldn’t blame her. The wounds might not had been deep, but it was their extent that looked concerning in the least. Moreover, the cook was feverish, and most probably malnourished and dehydrated.

The bastard needed more than his usual luck to get out of that alive.

“I think I’ll be able to set it back into place.” Nami said, and he didn’t argue with her. It was clear that she was more experienced in treating fractured bones – or just a little more courageous than him.

As soon as the cook’s arm looked like a proper limb again, the swordsman couldn’t hold back a sigh of relief. The navigator also smiled subtly, although the expression didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“We can’t be sure if he’ll be able to move it like he did before.” She said, taking a piece of cloth and dipping it in the water Usopp brought in two buckets earlier. “All we can do is hope it’ll heal properly. We won’t survive on the Grand Line like that. Without a good doctor on board.”

He knew the navigator was right. Even though up until then they managed to get out of all sources of trouble, they were more than sure to run out of luck eventually. The stronger their enemies were going to get, the more fatal the damage would be. Without someone who had actual knowledge in treating wounds, they were done for.

“We’ll find a way.” He said slowly, wiping out the blood clotted around the previously disinfected cuts. He tried not to put too much pressure on the cook’s skin, knowing the damage done to his friend could also be internal. Especially the blackish flesh on his ribcage.

A moment of silence passed before Nami shifted, dipping the cloth in water and turning it light pink.

“When you two were together…” She said quietly, avoiding the swordsman’s look. “What happened?”

Zoro hesitated for a moment.

“If you’re asking what exactly they did to him, I don’t know.” He answered the question eventually. “Most of those wounds he gained before I… well, found him.”

“I see.” The navigator’s tone was completely unreadable for him.

“He definitely resisted them, though.” Zoro tried to cheer up somehow, even though he wasn’t quite too good at words. “He hadn’t said shit when they tried questioning him at the end. In fact,” He exhaled deeply. “Although it’s loath to admit it, I wouldn’t have escaped if it wasn’t for him.”

To his surprise, the navigator snorted subtly, shaking her head.

“He’s an idiot.” She said, blinking a couple of times when her voice trembled. “I can’t imagine sailing without him, but he’s an idiot. Not that you’re better.” Her eyes went to Zoro for a brief second before she turned back to the cook. “Take your fight with Mihawk.”

“Oh, you’ve got a problem with it?” The swordsman’s brow twitched.

“I’ve got a problem with _you_.” Nami grit her teeth. “You guys all act like you’re invincible. Like you can get out of any trouble, and there’s no way you’ll fail to achieve your over-the-top ambitions. It’s really frustrating sometimes, you know?” Zoro didn’t interrupt her. “But you, _all of you_ , are only human. And even if the thought of dying a heroic death doesn’t move you, there are people waiting for you to return. _Always_.”

He knew she was right. Even though the thought had never occurred to him before, he knew Nami was telling the truth.

“Of course there are.” He said, his eyes going to the cook’s face, flushed skin and hair sticking to his forehead. “But that’s why a man puts his life on the line. To protect those waiting for him. You can’t expect the cook to bend that rule.”

There were very few people prouder than the dartbrow that Zoro had met in his life. The guy’s world was made by iron rules, an unspoken code he always played by. It was the reason why the swordsman and him always fought and sparred. Not because of hatred or anger – even though the bastard got on Zoro’s nerves more often than not.

Which was precisely why the bastard _couldn’t_ give up then and there. Someone as haughty as him would never admit defeat so easily. Not until making sure the swordsman had bitten the dust earlier than him, in the very least.

* * *

Zoro _wasn’t_ worried about him.

It definitely wasn’t it. And it definitely _wasn’t_ a look of relief that Sanji noticed on the swordsman’s mossy face when he slowly cracked an eye open, wincing as the light stabbed him. His whole body felt on fire, but his skin kept crawling, sending shivers down his spine.

It felt as though he was dying. And then, the pain caught up with him.

His whole body ached, and there was a pulsating sensation coming from his right shoulder – he urged to reach his hand and check if it was still there, but someone was holding him down. His eyes slowly slid down to meet Nami, holding his hand with puffed eyes and a subtle smile on her face.

He briefly wondered if it was him that made her cry again.

“Cook, are you with us?” The swordsman asked, waving a hand in front of Sanji’s eyes.

 _Of course I am_ , was what the cook was about to answer, but all that made its way out of his throat was a pained, dry screech. Zoro turned his head to the navigator, who quickly nodded. Sanji felt something cold being pressed to his lips and needed a moment to realise it was a glass of water. He slowly parted his lips, drinking the liquid in small sips.

The pain in his head eased a little, energy flowing through his veins. He couldn’t remember how long it had been since he last got anything to drink, avoiding the water given him by the Marines was a good idea, but he was dehydrated. As soon as he emptied the first glass, another one was pressed against his mouth. He shook his head subtly, but a firm grip on the vessel didn’t loosen.

“Drink it, shitty cook.” Zoro’s voice echoed from somewhere above his head. “You need it.”

He was too weak to argue with the mosshead right now, slowly chugging down the water and feeling pleasant cool flow all over his body.

“He’s delirious.” Nami’s voice reached him as though from behind the wall. “Sanji, blink two times if you can understand me.”

The cook obeyed her, feeling his eyelids go heavy as he opened his eyes for the second time. He didn’t get to see navigator’s reaction because of the lack of strength to raise his head. Every part of his body felt as though made of lead, cold shivers running all over. Even his thoughts were a little handicapped.

What was happening to him?

“We should probably keep him awake.” It was Nami again. Sanji felt pressure being removed from his head and replaced with sudden cold, the new sensation drilling into his skull. It was awful, but at the same time, it made him feel better.

“Eyes on me, cook.” The swordsman came back into his field of vision, moving around in a blur. The cook tilted his head to the side, eyes trailing over the familiar wooden walls.

_Going Merry._

“Hey, don’t fall asleep now.” Zoro rebuked him, but the voice barely made their way to his ears. A sudden feeling of relief welled up in Sanji, making his eyelids go even heavier than before. He wasn’t sure if it wasn’t just some mirage created by a drug, but it didn’t stop him from feeling safe. “We’re almost done with you, cook.”

 _You’re talking awfully too much for yourself,_ he wanted to say. The constant sound of the swordsman’s voice above his head made the cook feel the tiniest bit annoyed. Even though, he could feel his consciousness slipping away. Sliding back into the abyss swallowing his mind, he exhaled shakily. The pain and heat and cold lugging his body slowly faded away, leaving space for the feeling of falling and losing the grip of reality.

He wasn’t sure if he was going to wake up anymore.

* * *

The cook kept balancing on the verge of consciousness for what felt like hours before his breathing finally, _finally_ evened and his muscles relaxed, the only indicator for Zoro that his friend was asleep. The swordsman involuntarily let out a long breath, closing his eyes and leaning his head back. His ears still straining to catch the shallow inhale-exhale sounds coming from the cook.

Under his eyelids, images of the previous occurrences were still _too_ alive.

Every time the bastard opened his eyes, the swordsman did everything he could to try to keep him awake, but it was all futile – the cook always slipped back into a state of semi-consciousness after a few moments, only to wince in pain and burn up again, shivering. As they kept working on his wounds, Zoro glanced at Nami from time to time, never failing to notice her face in an expression of concern, her eyes red and glassy.

Out of the two of them, he had to be the one to keep his cool.

The navigator left the room shortly after they were done with closing all of the cuts and securing the cook’s arm. The swordsman could now look at the injured limb without fighting his clenching stomach, but a whole new feeling rose inside him whenever he trailed the blackened flesh around the joint.

 _Anger._ Wild, burning. And tremendous guilt.

It only loosened a little when he noticed the cook was no longer struggling, as the guy fell into what seemed like shallow sleep. His face was no longer twisted in a pained grimace, with sweat running down the pale skin. The dartbrow looked calm and composed, like he usually did. Zoro never really got the chance to take a closer look at the guy when he was asleep, but now it really hits him _why._

Even with such injuries, after hours of burning up with fever, the cook was still _alert._ It felt as though he was going to snap his eyes open if the swordsman as much as sighed too loudly. The swordsman raised his eyebrows.

It wasn’t the dartbrow’s role on the ship to stay cautious the whole time. He was the goddamn _cook_ , the only fucking person able to make sure they all didn’t starve to death. If the guy never rested properly, how the hell was he supposed to take care of the bottomless pit of a captain they had on board?

“You’re taking too much of this shit on yourself, idiot.” Zoro didn’t know why the words made it out of his throat, but as they echoed through the room, he didn’t mind saying it again. “You’re taking way too much on yourself.”

As he finally spoke, he couldn’t stop the words from spilling out of him like a stream.

“It’s not your goddamn job to put your life on the line and worry about the rest of us.” The swordsman grit his teeth, turning his head away from the cook. “You’re here to make sure _Luffy_ and _I_ have the strength to protect you all. _Period_. If you fail, cook, we’re dead.”

Zoro paused, his throat clenching. The silence that fell in between the cook and him weighs at his chest like lead.

“You’ve got some nerve to be taking over my responsibility, bastard.” He spat out eventually, drawing in a deep breath. “Not just anyone is able to satisfy Luffy’s hunger. You really think any of us could do it if you popped your clogs?”

The swordsman almost heard one of the dartbrow’s sophisticated insults coming his way. As he shot a quick glance at his crewmate, he realized it had to be wind playing with his ears. The thought only made his voice more strained, his voice trying to make its way through clenched cords.

“Listen to me very carefully now, shitty cook.” Zoro rested a hand on the hilt of his swords, fingers digging into the sheath. “A swordsman- a warrior, can be replaced _anytime_. There’s plenty of strong guys out there. The crew could carry on for a while if one person who does nothing but fight suddenly disappeared. But you…” His eye trails to the unconscious silhouette. “You’re essential for our survival. Don’t ever, _ever_ fucking forget that.”

Without another word, he relaxed his muscles, straightening his back and collecting his thoughts. His body needed to rest, but he wouldn’t fall asleep. Meditation was key to easing the extortion and pain he was feeling.

The swordsman rested his head on the wall, the way he could at once feel comfortable and keep an eye on the cook. His eyes fell closed as he listened to the sound of his crewmate’s rhythmic breathing, hands resting on his knees.

_I’m not going to leave you alone now, shitty cook._

* * *

The very first thing Sanji felt when coming to was _pain._ Tremendous, burning _pain_. It originated from his arm and spread all the way up and down his body, every cut and bruise pulsating with dull pain. Breathing alone made his ribs and chest hurt subtly, although he could no longer feel the restraints on his hands or filth and dust clotting to him and his clothes.

He tried taking a deeper breath, letting out a sharp hiss when something inside his chest stabbed. The sensation spread all over his torso, itching and paralyzing the cook, making it hard to breathe. His head spun as he held his breath, waiting for the pain to pass.

It took a few attempts to crack an eye open, but once he did, to his surprise, he welcomed the feeling of sunlight blurring his vision. Was it because of the time he spent held in that goddamn building with no source of light whatsoever or because that very moment was what assured him he was _alive_ , he didn’t know. Sliding his gaze all around the room, he vaguely tried to remember how he got back on going Merry.

_He’s here!_

_Find him! I want him dead, understand? I want to see his eyes lose the last spark of life!_

_Here he is! He’s wounded!_

A hoarse sound made its way out of Sanji’s throat as he suddenly remembered the cold, the rain pouring on him as he bled in that alley… everything seemed like something, or rather _someone_ , managed to get him back on deck. Everything that happened later was all a blur.

He remembered how his skin crawled despite the fire burning his insides. The feeling of his body eating itself. His limbs turning into steel, too heavy to move them. _Was that how it felt to be feverish?_ There were also voices. _His crew’s_ voices, but they sounded distant. And the shivering that ran through his body whenever someone touched him, when his clothes were being removed…

A sudden rush of adrenaline shot through him, almost making him jolt in place. With unimaginable extortion, he raised his head subtly, eyes quickly going to the bandages wrapped all across his torso and arms… _oh_ , he realized, one of them was bent in the elbow and wrapped around his torso tightly, the way he couldn’t even think of moving it.

The shock and uneasiness slowly faded away as he felt the subtle rocking of waves and the warmth of sun rays on his skin, leaving space for a strange feeling of _safety_. It seemed strange to the cook – in fact, he was far from _safe_. If someone, _anyone,_ decided to raid the hip that very moment, he’d be absolutely useless for the crew. _A burden. A failure. A disappointment._

“Took you long enough to finally open those eyes, shitty cook.”

Sanji fought the urge to flinch, slowly turning his head in the direction of the voice. His eyebrows went up when he saw a familiar shade of green right next to him. The swordsman’s eyes were closed as though he was asleep, but there were dark shades under them, and the position he was in couldn’t possibly be comfortable for sleeping.

“Moss… head.” The cook strains out, watching the man slowly open one eye and take a deep breath.

“Don’t talk, idiot.” The swordsman shushes him, and after a few seconds a glass is pressed to his lips. Sanji swallows a few sips without any questions, wincing subtly as the sweet substance slowly filled his shrank stomach.

“You’ve strained yourself enough back there, dartbrow.” Zoro said as the other man tried to open his mouth and speak again. _With the screaming_ , he didn’t. But he also didn’t have to. “Nami and Usopp have prepared this for you. It should, theoretically, soothe the pain, but for god’s sake, keep your mouth shut for a minute or two.”

Sanji cracked a weak smile, which quickly faded away as he felt nausea well up in his stomach. _Right_ , he realized, he hadn’t eaten or drank anything for a while. Also, the thing Zoro just gave him was terribly dense and sweet, but who would he be to waste such a gift, especially from Nami?

“Listen to me carefully now, cook.” The swordsman’s voice brought him back to the room. “We did some really hard work to patch you up last night, remember that. We tried to lock your arm in place, so that’s definitely a _don’t move_. Also, you’ve cracked some ribs, of course you did, and your legs aren’t in the best shape either…” Cautious eyes slowly trailed around the cook’s frame. “Shortly said, you’re fucked up.”

The cook didn’t even try to make a comment on that. He simply stared into the ceiling, breathing deeply and trying to fight the urge to throw up. The substance slowly started working, spreading all over his body with sudden warmth. Suddenly, the ringing in his head was no more, finally letting his calm down and relax.

“See? It’s already working.” Zoro’s voice reached him, but as though from behind a wall. “Just lie down and try to get some sleep.”

Sanji felt a pang of fear at the sensation. He remembered the feeling of hearing someone through a wall way too well. _It’s happening again_. Suddenly, pain bloomed from his chest, making it hard to draw consecutive breaths. The cook’s eyes opened rapidly as he struggled to keep his breathing even. _It’s not over._

“Hey, cook.” The swordsman echoed somewhere in the distance, but Sanji _couldn’t_ focus on his crewmate. “What’s wrong? Why are you trembling? Hey, look at me!”

The world spun as the cook tried to turn his head, letting out choked, shallow pants and feeling his heart race. Zoro’s green hair flashed in front of his eyes, as the man leaned over him, speaking something in a stressed tone. Sanji shot him a helpless look, the lack of oxygen feeling more and more painful with every ragged breath.

Fear paralyzed him as he realized he was choking. _Suffocating._ He could fight or run away from the Marines that chased him, but that pain – the stabbing feeling from his chest, was something he couldn’t brace himself from. Breaths turned into pants as he desperately tried to get as much air as possible inside his lungs.

_It didn’t work._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a little long-ish, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless! I think the next one is going to tie all the loose strings together, so I decided it'd probably be for the best to split it and publish the first half along with this one. Hope you're all having a great day!
> 
> (also, I'm celebrating my birthday next month, so you can treat it as a gift~)


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